Rising of Shadows
by Eszadro
Summary: "After the defeat of the reapers the Normandy has to find who is attacking numerous civilian ships while Liara, who has begun to disband the organization of the Shadow Broker, will count on Shepard's help to survive the plot contrived by who wants to preserve the organization at all costs." This story is also available in pdf (for several romances) in English and Spanish in Reddit.
1. Prelude

This story is the continuation of "I won't leave you behind". Here, in the prelude, you can find the decisions made in Mass Effect which are used for this story, and two summaries (short and long version) of the previous one.

Also, you can access to additional material of this story if you look for it in Reddit, just type "Eszadro" in search and click on "Design of a Cerberus starship". There you will find the images of a ship with a major role in the story and a link to a page where I have other versions for several romances in pdf.

 **Relevant decisions of Mass Effect trilogy**

 **Shepard's profile:**

-Male.

 **General:**

-Shepard chooses paragon decisions.

-Shepard has a romance with Liara along the trilogy, and he remains faithful to her. He has romantic relationships with nobody else.

 **Mass Effect 1:**

-All team members recruited.

-Kaidan dies at Virmire.

 **Mass Effect 2:**

-All team members recruited.

-At least the loyalty missions of Tali and Garrus successfully completed.

-Shepard accepts reinstatement as a Spectre.

-Tali wasn't exiled.

-Normandy fully upgraded.

-At least Shepard, Tali and Garrus survive the Suicide Mission.

 **Mass Effect 3:**

-"Extended Cut" installed.

-DLC "From Ashes" completed.

-Shepard encourages Joker in his relationship with EDI.

-Ashley joins the team.

-At Thessia, Javik goes with Shepard and Liara. Back in the Normandy, Shepard calms Liara in the argument she had with Javik.

-Shepard convinces Javik to use his prothean echo shard.

-Shepard helps EDI understand organics.

-Minimum effective military strength: 3100.

-On Earth, Liara is part of Shepard's squad in the final push towards the Conduit.

-Destroy ending is chosen. Shepard's team survivors: all Normandy's crew and at least Ashley, Garrus, James, Javik, Liara and Tali.

 **Summary (short version)**

After the victory over the reapers the Normandy returns to Earth to rescue Commander Shepard, and among all who have been part of the team and a group of soldiers of the Alliance they find him and take him back to the ship.

With the hero on board the Normandy leaves for Thessia, rendezvous point of the fleet, and there Shepard proposes marriage to Liara. In the wedding Liara surprises everyone by having recovered EDI, and also tells Shepard that she is not going to be the Broker anymore, having already begun to disband the organization with EDI's help. As for the future, Shepard does not know what he will do, but he knows Liara will always be there to support him.

 **Summary (long version)**

When Shepard's squad is evacuated from Earth Liara, who has been the most injured in the battle, is sedated and healed in the medical bay. After waking up in an unknown planet where the Normandy has crashed and the others inform her they left Shepard behind she wants to come back for him, and with the unanimous support of the team they contact Hackett. This one, from Earth orbit, confirms the victory over the reapers. However, there was a rescue operation, and the only thing they recovered was Anderson's body before they had to abandon the search due to the danger of collapses in the Citadel remains. As the Commander was already badly injured the last time he could contact him and there has been two days since the final battle, the Admiral, much to his regret, knows it's unlikely that he is still alive and decides there's not going to be other search.

During the tribute to the fallen in the Normandy, before placing Shepard's plaque on the memorial wall, Liara feels a hunch: she knows the Commander is alive. Although initially the rest of the team doesn't believe her, considering everything Shepard has gone through perhaps he hasn't died yet, and hope doesn't take a long time to prevail. The Normandy leaves for Earth.

Once they have the Citadel at sight they meet a support team gathered by Hackett, finally convinced by Joker, to look for the Commander: a group of Alliance soldiers and all the former members of Shepard's squad (from Mass Effect 1 and 2). To cover more ground they divide into three teams: Alliance reinforcements and the former members of the squad look for in the districts; Liara, Garrus and Tali go to one zone of the Presidium; and the rest to the other part of the Presidium. Liara's group finds the Commander, still alive, but his severe injuries prevent his transfer to the Normandy. However, Liara generates a stasis field to keep him alive while they take him back to the frigate. Even though Shepard arrives unconscious, he survives.

Twenty days later, after a long journey at conventional FTL speed up to Arcturus Stream to reach the relays network (as the Sun's had been destroyed), they arrive to Thessia, rendezvous point of the fleet. There the Commander wakes up and reunites with his companions. The next day there's a commemorative ceremony to celebrate the victory and remember the fallen during which Shepard speaks to Hackett. He explains that all synthetics have perished and the remains of the reapers are disintegrating, preventing the possibility of recovering their technology. When the Commander comes back to the Normandy he speaks to Liara about what happened in the Citadel, and at the end of the conversation Shepard proposes marriage. She says yes.

The wedding is held days later. On it Joker gets a great surprise: Liara, with her Broker's resources, has managed to bring EDI back, because when the Crucible fired EDI, as a preventive measure, began to fragment herself in many packages of simple data and left instructions about how those data could be linked again to reconstruct her. Moreover, Javik reflects and decides not to join his ancestors as he still has many things to see, and also he has to help Liara to write her book. Finally, doctor T'Soni tells the Commander she won't be the Broker anymore and that with EDI helping her she has already begun to disband the organization. From now she will collaborate with Hackett to coordinate the reconstruction of the galaxy, but her new job won't prevent her from going with the Commander in his next missions.

After the wedding, in the last night aboard the Normandy before going on honeymoon, Shepard and Liara talk about the future. The Commander doesn't know what he's going to do, if he will stay in the Normandy or not, but she states that she will support his decision and will come with him anywhere he goes.


	2. Chapter 1

_The Commander observes the exterior through the large windows of the terminal. The spaceport of Armali is bustling again, full of movement more than a month and a half after the victory over the reapers. Ships of all types and sizes land and take-off under the protection of Parnitha. With repairs almost concluded the fleets which participated in the battle of Earth prepare to deploy all over the galaxy. Reconstruction has just begun._

Shepard: It's overwhelming.

Liara: Yes… _-She smiles-_ I'm going to miss these last days, just you and me… It has been wonderful. _-Shepard hugs her and they kiss-._

 _The door of the terminal opens and an Alliance soldier appears. He approaches them._

Officer: _-He makes a military salute-_ I'm Lieutenant Rick MacNamara. Your ship is ready to leave, I'll take you there.

 _Shepard nods and they follow him to the shuttle. Before reaching their destination they fly over much of the area reserved for the Alliance, many Everest-class cruisers stand by for Admiral Hackett's orders. Finally, in one of the docks he sees it, the Normandy, awaiting the return of its Commander. After landing Shepard and Liara go to the main airlock. EDI welcomes them._

EDI: Commander, Doctor T'Soni, it's a pleasure to see you again.

Shepard: Hello, EDI.

EDI: We need to talk about that thing of the Broker before the others arrive. There is a problem.

Liara: _-Worried-_ What happens?

EDI: I've detected an intruder in the network. Somebody has accessed from a terminal of one of your hidden bases, in Terra Nova.

Liara: That's not possible… I made sure that something like this couldn't happen.

Shepard: Has her identity been compromised?

EDI: I don't know… I'm sorry.

Liara: Shepard, I can't ignore this. I have to go there. From the computers of that facility I will be able to find out what information they've got, and I will close that vulnerable point too.

Shepard: I'll go with you.

Liara: No, the Normandy already has its mission. This is my problem.

Shepard: You're part of my crew, my wife. It's dangerous and you're not going alone.

EDI: Don't worry about us, we can handle it on our own. This is a priority.

Liara: _-She sighs-_ The truth is that I could use the help.

SID: Don't waste more time. I'll tell the others you can't come.

Shepard: Thank you, EDI.

 _EDI returns to the Normandy. Shepard contacts with Hackett to explain what happens and in a few minutes the shuttle that took them to the frigate comes back._

Rick: At your orders, Commander. _-They get in and the Kodiak takes off-_ Admiral Hackett put me under your command. It's an honor to be part of your team, sir.

 _Several hours later, in the Normandy's communications room…_

Hackett: In these lasts weeks some refugee spaceships have disappeared in very specific areas of Alliance Space. Pirates, mercenaries… Whoever they are the know how to elude us, each time we send a fleet to the zone we found nothing, we just make them move their activities to other system. Although they've only attacked secondary routes they're getting closer to the one we use to supply our territories, including Earth. As I explained to Shepard we can't let them reach that main route, the Normandy is the only option to find those raiders without alerting them of our presence. Intelligence believes they are in Hades Gamma, once you locate them the fleet will handle them. - _He makes a pause-_ Given that the Commander had to go I put Lieutenant Commander Williams in charge.

Ashley: I won't let you down, sir.

Hackett: Without Shepard, Liara and Javik, will your ground squad be enough? I don't have biotic reinforcements, but a group of marines is available if you need more members for the team.

Ashley: Thank you, but we have all the specialists needed. We can accomplish the mission.

Hackett: Good. Hackett out.

Joker: I don't like that Shepard and Liara have gone alone…

EDI: Jeff, they couldn't postpone it…

Garrus: Don't worry, Joker. Those two always succeed.


	3. Chapter 2

Liara: There's the entrance to the caves.

Rick: I see it. Here we go.

 _The shuttle lands softly a few meters from the opening in the mountain. The Commander gets out first observing carefully the surroundings through his M-8 Avenger's sight._

Shepard: Clear.

 _Liara joins the Commander after drawing her Phalanx._

Liara: Don't lower your guard.

 _Lieutenant MacNamara, with his Mattock loaded, is the last to leave the Kodiak. The caves are imposing. Of basaltic rock, the darkness which arises from the walls is something worth seeing. After they walk for a while guided by the doctor and seeing only what their lanterns illuminate they found an artificial wall. Liara moves her omni-tool over it and the wall slides aside. Before them there's a long and narrow corridor excavated in the stone, with rocks from the ceiling fallen all over the way. At the end they found an armored door locked. The control panel is smashed._

Liara: The server is on the other side.

Rick: I'll try to connect with this pad.

Shepard: Those wires have been pulled out by force.

Liara: I know.

Rick: Done!

 _They enter into a spherical room, as they advance the floor begins to light up revealing a terminal in the center of the room. Both soldiers move with Liara, close to her, aiming their guns around them._

Liara: _-Accessing the computer-_ I'm in, I'll need a few minutes until finding what we came for. - _Shepard observes what Liara is doing. Meanwhile, Rick watches over the entrance-._ This has no sense. There are only files and recordings of Cerberus, but this shouldn't be here…

 _Suddenly the spotlights on the walls switch on with a flash that stuns them. The Lieutenant hears a metallic sound between his boots._

Rick: Grenade! - _He throws himself aside, but the grenade brings down his shields. Shepard pulls Liara out of the terminal at the same time that the first shots begin to reach-._

Liara: We need all the information we can get from…! _-A rocket from an ML-77 destroys the terminal-_ Damn it!

Shepard: Take cover! - _With his wife, he gets to the door's left. The Lieutenant, to the right-._ Is there any other exit? _-He returns fire without aiming-._

Liara: No! _-She shoots and hits an assailant in the head-_ This wouldn't be a good secret base if it had many entrances!

Shepard: Great!

 _Liara generates a singularity behind a rock, and then Rick throws a fragmentation grenade that falls right ahead. The enemies, helpless in the air, get the whole impact of the shrapnel. Three less._

Liara: We won't have enough grenades to get out of here!

Shepard: Give me cover and follow me when I tell you!

Rick: Aye, aye! - _While the assailants cover the Commander runs to take refuge behind the rock. Once there his teammates advance-._

Shepard: _-He looks at the dead enemies-_ Liara, don't you recognize those armors?

Liara: _-Shocked-_ Are they of m - _she rectifies-_ the agents of the Shadow Broker?

Rick: How can you know that? Have you faced them before?

Shepard: It's a - _a rocket goes past over their heads-_ long story!

 _They keep their slow advance through the corridor while covering, no matter how many mercenaries they kill they continue appearing. Once in the cave the situation doesn't get better._

Rick: I thought the Broker was on our side!

Liara: Me too! - _Rocks burst with the impacts-._

Rick: They're more coming by the entrance!

Shepard: _-To Liara-_ Do you remember Therum? - _She lifts several enemies with her biotic to eliminate them-_ There's no volcano here, but this place won't last long more if we continue like this!

Liara: Keep on! Our way out is almost clear!

 _When they finish the last of them they go outside, but they find their transport burning, reduced to a mere hodgepodge of metal._

Rick: What do we do now?

Liara: There's an industrial area beside this mountain, there must be a vehicle.

Shepard: It's our best option. - _Suddenly an enemy shuttle appears, stops in front of them and opens its doors to deploy a mercenary platoon-_ Let's go!

Liara: Over here!

 _With numerous enemies at their backs they go down the slope until reaching the factory. After getting into the closest building they lock and bolt the door behind them._

Shepard: That will give us some time.

 _As they get inside the damaged facilities noises from shuttle's thrusters come closer, the enemies soon fly over them. When they reach the second level of the main industrial unit, through a demolished wall they see an Alliance convoy. The vehicles are not in a very good condition._

Liara: The reapers did that, both tanks are cut through the middle.

Shepard: The tanks won't take us too far, but look at that truck, it seems to be entire.

Rick: Yes. We have to reach it.

Liara: There's a long distance in the open.

Shepard: But there isn't any other way to get out of here.

 _A mercenary comes in through one of the scorched doors._

Shadow Broker Agent: They are here!

 _Before he can pull the trigger the team finishes him and the other two who followed him. Immediately the building begins to tremble and an A-61 Mantis gunship opens fire on them._

Liara: Jump!

 _The team falls to the first floor and the gunship disappears. A group of mercenaries catches them unaware from the back side of the industrial unit._

Shepard: Forget them! Run!

 _In the outside more mercenaries appear, and after a strong but far and recognizable sound the Commander stops._

Shepard: Sniper! - _He looks back at his teammates and sees Liara on the ground-_ Liara!

 _The Commander moves back to her and he bends at her side shooting the mercenaries who dare to advance. After realizing she is alive he founds a dart in her neck. While he takes it away and helps her to stand up the gunship returns, and focus on the couple, but the Lieutenant opens fire against it. The pilot of the Mantis changes his target and before Rick can take cover he dies by the machine gun._

Shepard: No!

Liara: _-Recomposing her voice-_ We have to go on!

 _Shepard nods and they keep running. When they get to the truck the Commander takes the steering wheel and Liara opens the upper hatch to shoot the Mantis forcing it to turn aside to avoid damages in the cockpit._

Liara: Go, go!

 _Shepard steps on the accelerator and Liara returns inside. The gunship comes back and begins the pursuit through the industrial area._

Liara: It's still behind us!

Shepard: I see it! Check those boxes, maybe there's something we can use!

 _The gunship launches several missiles but the Commander avoids them. Liara, after checking various boxes, finds a rocket launcher with two charges._

Liara: I hope this is enough…

 _The Mantis skillfully dodges the chimneys and cantilevered corridors of the factories, the sudden turns the Commander makes at the forks do not work. When Liara has targeted it, she fires and almost gets a direct impact, but the enemy gets away from it. The pilot responds with various missiles, Shepard does everything he can to avoid them. Then the asari sees the key to bring the hunter down. She does not think twice about it and fires a damaged tower in front of them. The structure begins to fall, but the gunship does not see it in time and collides against it._

Shepard: Good shot!

 _Liara closes the hatch and sits next to the Commander._

Shepard: _-Worried about the dart-_ Are you okay?

Liara: _-She touches her neck-_ I think so.

Shepard: You have to see a doctor.

Liara: First we have to leave the planet. The attackers… They are mercenaries who work for me, I don't know why they are coming against us.

Shepard: They were waiting for us… I feel bad for Rick.

Liara: He gave us a chance to escape. We couldn't do anything for him…

Shepard: I know, but…

Liara: Yes, that doesn't make you feel any better… Me neither.

Shepard: Let's call the Alliance to get us out of here.

Liara: No. We don't know what's going on, who is behind all this or if they are monitoring communications. Right now the best we can do is to continue on our own.

Shepard: Okay, then how do we get out?

Liara: We'll get fares for the first civilian ship that leaves the planet. With more discreet clothes and our equipment hidden as luggage we'll get out without attracting attention.

-O-

 _In the Normandy's lounge…_

James: So, why have you decided to come?

Tali: Those things about organizing the reconstruction are not for me, I'm more useful here, in the Normandy.

Ashley: And you, Garrus?

Garrus: You know turians love action. I'm not going to see as much as I'll do with you.

Traynor: You two… You'd make a good couple. - _Tali and Garrus get nervous-._

Tali: _-Trying to sound sincere-_ Your imaginations…

James: _-Pointing at Garrus-_ I'd swear you blushed!

Garrus: _-Concealing-_ Me? My species can't do that…


	4. Chapter 3

_The civilian ship in which Shepard and Liara are has completed half of the journey. They both stay in their cabin._

Liara: _-Trying to access to her network-_ Cut off! How can I be cut off!

Shepard: More problems?

Liara: I can't connect to my network or access my resources. I'm out of my own system! If I just had Glyph… _-Liara, given in, puts her hand in her forehead and sighs-._

Shepard: _-He goes and stands beside her-_ We will catch who is behind this, just like always.

Liara: I hope so…

 _They hear a metallic sound, as if something was rubbing against the hull of the ship._

Liara: What was that?

Shepard: I don't like it. Put on your armor.

 _Once armed and ready for combat the cruise loses power and immediately the emergency generator turns on. Red lights illuminate the corridor. Shepard leaves the cabin holding his M-3 Predator. Liara follows him, also on guard. Some civilians begin to get out to the corridor, frightened, and as they see both they hide again in the safety of their rooms. They advance until reaching the communal area to observe the exterior through the big windows. The sound they heard was the deployment of the coupling passageway, and anchored to it they discover a frigate without any distinctive which identify it._

Liara: That can't be good…

 _The frigate, in comparison with the cruise, is insignificant, but for its size it could carry more than 50 assault troopers. The refugees' ship is immense, about 700 meters long, with seven decks which shelter more than 1.000 souls. Their pursuers would have to seek them out in a ship with boundless sites to hide. Suddenly, the door of the room opens, and dozens of civilians come in running. In the distance they hear the first shots. They look each other._

Liara: We could hide, but if we don't do anything many innocents will die…

Shepard: They are no match for us. Let's finish them off.

-O-

Joker: Any news?

EDI: Scanning the area looking for heat traces and combustion residues takes a lot of time. And solar radiation does not help.

Joker: This is the third system we've checked. If they were here, shouldn't we have found something yet?

EDI: Not necessarily. _-She makes a pause-_ I've already finished, set course to Farinata, it's the last point of the Anansi-Ishtar route left.

-O-

Shadow Broker Agent: There they are! Kill them!

 _The doctor and the Commander begin the fight against their enemies. The spacious room where they are connects two decks, and from the balcony of the upper level the mercenaries shoot them taking advantage of their height._

Liara: We have to go up there to reach the bridge and put the ship into gear!

 _The Commander advances, and the elevator's door opens. Five mercenaries more join the fray. Shepard bends behind a counter, but Liara can't reach it and stands in the corridor. They see themselves outnumbered, and with the enemy alerted they know all assault troopers are going there. Liara tries to generate a singularity over the enemies of the balcony. Nothing happens…_

Liara: What?

Shepard: This is getting out of our hands! - _He shows up, shoots and wounds a mercenary-_ We need to clear that balcony now!

 _Liara tries to create the singularity again but she can't._

Liara: _-Frightened-_ What's happening to me? Shepard! I can't use my biotic!

Shepard: What?!

Liara: _-She realizes-_ The dart… It has to be the dart!

Shepard: Damn it!

 _The door at Commander's left also opens and more troops appear. Flanked, he is forced to move back to Liara's position while she covers him with her Phalanx._

Shepard: They're too many!

 _The doctor brings down an enemy with several shots in his torso. His partners slowly advance towards them. The Commander gets many impacts that overload his shield._

Shepard: Fall back! We can't hold them more!

Liara: But this is the most direct way to deck one!

Shepard: We have no choice!

 _They turn around and run as fast as they can. Once they reach the communal area they close the door behind them and Shepard uses his omni-tool to blockade it._

Shepard: That will stop them for a while.

Liara: _-Very nervous-_ My powers! What will I do without them?

Shepard: _-Calming her down he puts his hands on her shoulders and looks into her eyes-_ We will settle it, but now we have to keep calm if we want to survive - _she nods and relax a bit-._

 _The Commander connects to an onboard computer and looks for the plan of the ship. Liara observes the door. Behind it they hear how their enemies concentrate. They will not take long to break through it._

Shepard: Come. - _He shows her the discovery-_ We can't reach deck one from here, but if we go through the portside observation corridor we will go beyond the blockade, arriving to this point.

Liara: From where we can reach the first level.

Shepard: And then, the bridge.

Liara: Okay, I follow you.

 _They go down through the nearest stairs, there is not a single refugee at sight. When they reach level 4 the door of the communal area explodes, but they do not stop until they are at the observation zone. A long glazed corridor which crosses almost all the ship spread out before them. Outside, only a planet stands out in the darkness of the cold space. The corridor is divided in three parts by two watertight chambers, which are an intersection with the corridors which go into the cruiser. They are in the chamber which is closest to stern._

Shepard: Don't stop running!

 _The faster enemies already have them within range, but with the Commander covering the rearguard they do not risk to get out of the chamber. When they are almost in the next one, the door opens and shows three assailants who are waiting for them. Liara eliminates one hand to hand, kills other with the Phalanx and Shepard deals with the third. When the asari seals the entrance the mercenaries go through the corridor so as not to lose them. The Commander and the doctor resume their running, they see the wall of the end of the observation corridor in front of them and on the right the gate. When the sealed door gives way they have almost reached their way out. Shepard is ahead of Liara, but not too much. With the first shots she stops and responds forcefully. Then, a mercenary who is going to throw a grenade, after removing its ring, gets a shot in his head. The grenade falls and rolls up to the pane and detonates. The corridor cracks, the enemies stop firing, look at each other and begin to move back, but it is too late. In a split second, Shepard reaches the wall of the end of the corridor and clings on to the pipes which jut out of the wall with one hand, and extends the other to Liara, who jumps to hold on in the moment when the glass breaks. Space absorbs the mercenaries and tries to devour the couple too. None of both are touching the floor now. Air is beginning to leave the corridor._

Shepard: Hold out!

Liara: I'm slipping!

 _Shepard squeezes her hand tighter, but he feels she is sliding. He tries to turn on his own to get at right angle to Liara and then bring her nearer to the pipes so that she could cling on too. The Commander sees the fear on the asari's eyes._

Liara: Shepard… _-Her hand loosens, she closes her eyes and vacuum carries her away-._

-O-

Joker: What the…! - _After coming out of FTL speed he runs into an enormous space station right ahead. He sharply lifts up the frigate to avoid collision-._

EDI: This station does not appear in any star chart!

Joker: _-After stabilizing the ship he snorts-_ That was close!

 _They cross the side of the space station with the Normandy still in stealth mode._

Joker: _-Looking at the architecture of the station-_ Wait a moment… That's not a space station, it's a ship!*

EDI: Impossible… It's too big, it's more than three kilometers long…

Joker: It has to be, look all the engines it has. What a beast!

EDI: And that is… Cerberus emblem…

Joker: It must be adrift… Abandoned.

EDI: I don't think so. Do you see those little lights? It's an inoperative civilian ship. Whoever has done this they are not Cerberus, they were all indoctrinated and died with the reapers. Someone has recovered that ship.

Joker: _-Ironic-_ Great, some crazy pirate has taken control of a colossal Cerberus' ship… _-He makes a pause-_ Do you detect any sign of life in the refugees' ships?

EDI: _-She scans them-_ No, nothing. _-She displays an enlarged image-_ Look, they have numerous impacts of mass accelerators. It's not likely there are survivors.

Joker: If they don't want them as hostages or slaves, for what do they attack the refugees? They have not many things of value. The ships are useful, but it seems they are not interested at all…

EDI: _-Sad-_ They had survived the reapers, and even so…

Joker: _-He sighs-_ That ship, does it has an escort?

EDI: No, it seems it's alone.

Joker: Good, we've already done our part. Let's inform the Admiral.

-O-

 _But something stopped her. When Liara opens her eyes again, Shepard is still grabbing her, but with the other hand. The Commander has completed his turn and is grasped to the pipes with the boots. She looks at him, but she quickly realizes the pipes are giving way. Her look tells him many things._

Liara: Shepard?

 _The atmosphere is escaping through the breach, breathe gets more and more difficult. The Commander, with his free hand, takes his pistol, aims at the lights of the ceiling and shoots. A spark reaches the fire detector and it activates the armored bulkhead which seals the damaged section of the corridor, isolating them from the vacuum. They both suddenly fall to the ground with the pipe._

Shepard: _-He stands up-_ Are you okay?

Liara: _-She snorts-_ Yes, thank you. _-Shepard helps her to stand up-_ Let's keep going.

 _In a few minutes they reach deck one, but they do not find any enemy on the way, they have gone. Suddenly they begin to hear very loud explosions. Once at the bridge they discover that all crew has been executed and the ship's controls are nothing more than scrap. One of the few computers which still work shows a diagram of the cruiser, numerous sections flicker in red. The enemy frigate is firing against them, it seems the mercenaries get fed up with persecuting them. The ship is doomed, nothing can be done to save it. They leave the bridge and they go towards the escape pods, screams of terror come from all directions. Liara gets ahead of him, and when she passes through a door, part of the ceiling falls in on Shepard, but he avoids it and just falls to the floor. While he stands up Liara continues, and after reaching the corner which looks on to the corridor where the pods are she stops, looks back and sees a flare coming near them._

Liara: Get out of there! _-She resumes the run-._

Shepard: _-He turns and sees it too-_ This must be a joke _-he starts running-._

 _Almost at the end of the corridor Liara finds one of the few pods left. The flare is getting closer and closer to Shepard._

Liara: Hurry!

 _The doctor gets into and connects the systems of the pod, and when the Commander enters she closes the hatch after him. Right then the pod is launched. Through an exterior camera they see how little by little the ship is left behind. With the repeated shots of the frigate the fires spread. Some other escape pods get out, but very few for all the people who travelled in the ship. Suddenly a huge explosion gobbles the cruiser. Numerous lives have immediately disappeared._

 **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

*You can find images of the Cerberus ship found by the Normandy (the Colossus) in Reddit by typing my user name: "Eszadro"


	5. Chapter 4

_Darkness. Shepard feels something on him. He switches on a flashlight. It is Liara. He moves her a little with care, to see if she is conscious._

Shepard: Liara? Do you hear me?

Liara: Mmm… I ache all.

Shepard: The landing wasn't as soft as I tried to. Can you move?

Liara: I think so. _-She stands up slowly-_ Next time I'll pilot.

Shepard: Je… _-He sits up and she helps him stand up-_ It seems we're okay.

Liara: _-Something attracts her attention-_ No, we're not. Look at the hatch.

Shepard: _-He turns and sees it's dripping. It's water-_ Oh, no…

 _The Commander access to the onboard computer, switches on the exterior camera and confirms they are sunk. Rays of light illuminate the depth of what could be a river._

Liara: We have to get out of here.

Shepard: We will have to swim. _-He puts his hand near the opening panel and looks at her-_ Ready? - _Liara nods-_ Here we go.

 _When they open the hatch water begins to fill the pod. The coming flow is very strong. They will wait until it gets completely flooded to get out._

-O-

Joker: What are we going to do?

EDI: If the inhibitor is not deactivated we won't be able to contact the Alliance.

James: Why don't we leave and come back with reinforcements?

Joker: We don't know how long it will stay here… If it disappears we might not track it down again.

Garrus: Then let's board the ship and neutralize the signal.

Joker: Have you seen it? It's huge. If we don't ascertain from where it comes we will never find it.

EDI: I've been tracking it for a while but there is too much interference which prevents me from locating the origin. However, maybe I can do it from inside.

Ashley: We have no other option, we will board it. EDI, look for a way to get us in. The rest, prepare your things, when we have our entrance we'll leave.

-O-

 _It is the moment. They get as much air as possible and leave through the hatch. Once out they are violently carried away by the current, it is stronger than they expected. They both ascend to the surface where they see they are in the rapids. They struggle to stay afloat, they are swallowing water. In the twinkling of an eye a rock appears in the middle of their way. They try to avoid it, but the river pushes them against it. With the blow Shepard loses the armor of an arm and his gun, but Liara is not so lucky and gets a much greater impact._

Liara: Shep…! _-Her shout is drowned-_.

 _The Commander swims with all his strength towards her. When he avoids other rock he sinks beneath the surface and sees a trickle of blood which flows from the asari's side. Liara tries to stay on the surface, swimming with difficulty by the pain, but the river sinks her. Before it is too late Shepard finally grabs her and she holds on to him tightly. They start to hear a low sound of water falling, getting closer and closer. A waterfall. The Commander struggles against the current to get closer to the bank before they reach the great fall, and he narrowly succeeds. He gets Liara out of the river, lies her down on the ground and applies medigel to her wound. There is quite a lot of blood._

Liara: _-She notices how Shepard is looking at her-_ Does it look so bad?

Shepard: It's a deep cut, but you'll be fine. - _He makes a pause-_ We can't stay here, I'm sure this isn't over. - _Liara tries to stand up but he stops her-_ The medigel won't be able to start healing if you make efforts, let me carry you.

 _Liara assents, Shepard carries her in his arms and they go into the jungle. Strange sounds come from all directions accompanied by the rustle of leaves which birds cause when they skim against them. The air smells faintly of ozone, a storm approaches. The star which illuminates the planet hides, but in the darkness shining lights in the sky light up slightly their environment: escape pods which have not been so lucky and burn in the atmosphere. As the first drops of rain start to fall a shuttle flies over them._

Liara: They're here to finish what they started… The frigate must be up there to jam communications. No one will come to help us.

 _After half an hour looking for a refuge they find one: a small grotto dug into the slope of a hill. The Commander gets inside with Liara and puts her behind rocks which will hide her from anyone who looks from outside._

Shepard: _-He crouches beside her-_ You'll be safe here. - _He makes a pause-_ Do you feel better?

Liara: It hurts when I move. - _She sighs-_ I'm sorry I got you into this… It's not going precisely as I had imagined.

Shepard: We'll get out of it. - _He stands up-_ They will be here soon, I have to make sure they don't find you.

Liara: _-She knows she won't be able to help him-_ Take this _-she offers him her pistol-_.

Shepard: _-He takes the hand with which she is holding the weapon and puts it on her lap-_ No, if they see you you'll need it.

Liara: But you…

Shepard: Don't worry, I'll manage.

Liara: _-She accedes-_ Be careful, okay? - _they kiss-._

 _Shepard comes out of the grotto unarmed and moves away one hundred meters in the direction that the shuttle took. He stays in the shadows for a while. Nothing but the deafening thunders, whose flashes of lightning bring the low visibility in the dark night, are heard. Something attracts his attention, voices getting closer and closer. They have probably located them from orbit with thermal cameras. The Commander covers behind a tree and he sees them, there are eight. The Broker's mercenaries are combing the area in formation. Carefully, he takes a stone from the ground and throws it away. The assault troopers now know they are not alone and decide to divide into two groups to approximate to the origin of the noise. A lightning strikes a near tree, splintering and setting it on fire. The agents move away from it._

Shepard: _-Talking to himself-_ This is my chance.

 _He comes near one slowly, and taking advantage of they're still looking the big torch he grabs him by his back and kills him with his omni-blade. After lying down the body in silence he picks up his guns, a M55 Argus assault rifle and an M-9 Tempest submachine gun, and opens fire on the patrol, bringing down the other three in a matter of seconds. The second group shoots at Shepard, who is forced to take cover. As the enemies advance over his position the Commander falls back trying to move away from the cave where Liara is, but the mercenaries push him in that direction. Total darkness again, he uses it to slip away._

Shadow Broker Agent: Change to night vision!

 _He catches them unaware from the rearguard and empties the Tempest's thermal clip on them. Three die, and he pierce the last mercenary with his omni-blade before he can react. Shepard believes he has finished, but there is somebody behind him._

Shadow Broker Operative: Throw down your weapons and don't make any strange movement - _he is aiming at his head with a Carnifex. The Commander obeys-._ Give them a kick. - _He moves them away-_ Where is the asari?

Liara: Right behind you. _-She shoots him in the head before he can do anything. His inert body collapses-_ You forgot one…

Shepard: You get here just in time. - _Worried-_ Are you okay?

Liara: The wound still hurts, but much less. I feel better.

 _The Commander recovers the weapons and scrutinizes the bodies looking for ammunition._

Liara: We have to get out of the system, we need to find their shuttle.

Shepard: They came that way.

Liara: I hope they came here in straight line…

 _Shepard helps her to walk through the jungle. The storm begins to remit, darkness returns. As they approximate to the arboreal limit they see light in the distance. When they arrive they stop before the mercenaries' camp, a barricade built with big boxes of supplies and energy barriers fences in the outpost. Inside it, arranged in Y there are three tents big enough to lodge several dozens of soldiers._

Liara: They brought a lot of equipment… They won't leave until they kill us.

Shepard: I can't see the shuttle from here. - _He observes the camp carefully-_ There are only two guards, stay here and watch their movements - _he gives her the assault rifle after changing its firing mode to semiautomatic-_ I'll approach.

 _The Commander moves away from the asari to the east to get out of the shelter of the trees at enough distance from the base and so that the look-outs don't detect him. He stealthily moves to the nearest tent, covering behind it. When he reaches it he moves next to the wall and leans out to the right._

Shepard: _-Through intercom-_ It's here, but we can't take it without more ado, there're two inside.

Liara: I still have those who patrol in my sight.

Shepard: All right, I'm jumping over the barricade. Eliminate them at my signal.

Liara: Be careful, there could be more in the tents.

 _The Commander moves next to the shuttle and kills the mercenaries who are inside. Then Liara shoots the guards, eliminating one of them quickly, but the other one manages to cover behind a box of supplies. Immediately five mercenaries come out of various of the tents and Shepard enters in the shuttle to avoid the shots. The enemies advance towards him._

Shepard: _-He sees something which attracts his attention-_ Termite bombs? _-He stoops and takes both charges-_ Liara! Cover me!

 _The asari opens fire on them so as they focus on her and Shepard opens the other door of the Kodiak, running across a mercenary, but the Commander knocks him down with the butt of his weapon and finishes him off with the submachine gun. He activates the termite bombs' timer and throws them from there to the wall of the tent whose entrance is in the area covered by Liara, the bombs adhere._

Liara: They already are over you!

 _The bombs detonate and scorch the rigid wall of composite material, creating a hole big enough to get inside. The Commander runs to reach the opening and rolls to the interior. The five mercenaries divide, going two to Liara, who from that advantageous position kills one before falling back and hiding in the thicket. Through the door of the tent where Shepard is two enemies come in, and he overturns a table to cover behind it. When they have been neutralized a grenade goes in through the hole of the wall._

Shepard: Damn it!

 _He gets out before the explosion and barricades himself behind a metal box, from where he can eliminate the mercenary who throw the artifact. The last, who has abandoned the camp to pursue the asari, collapses on the ground after getting several impacts in the torso. Liara leaves her hiding place and checks the body. He is dead. She returns to the camp._

Liara: Clear.

Shepard: _-Inspecting the last tent-_ Here too. Those were all.

 _The Commander helps her to walk towards the shuttle. Suddenly something bright appears in the sky crossing the night, going to the encounter._

Liara: They're firing us from orbit!

Shepard: _-Skeptic-_ It's too slow to be mass accelerator fire or a torpedo… _-As the "shot" comes near and gets out of the protection of the clouds its shape can be seen more clearly-_ That is not…

Liara: It's a Mako! - _The vehicle makes a sharp landing with the thrusters at fifty meters from the camp. The Commander releases her-._

Shepard: Move back! _-He advances shooting the enemy to give Liara time to fall back-._

 _The Mako's turret ignores the Commander, aims at the shuttle and blows it up with the cannon. In the attempt of avoiding the explosion Shepard throws himself to the ground. Liara speaks to him in the distance, but he only hears an intense beep. The armored vehicle fires its machine gun while it goes round the camp at high speed._

Shepard: _-The corpse next to him carries an M-37 Falcon grenade launcher. He takes it-_ This will come in handy.

 _The Commander stands up and runs up to Liara, bending both behind the energy barriers. The asari shoots the vehicle, dwindling slightly its shield, and when the target stops Shepard uses the grenade launcher, which is much more effective. Then the Mako decides to throw itself at them and jumps the barrier, reaching the center of the camp, what makes the couple look for cover behind some boxes of supplies. The IFV using its cannon makes the ground near them explode, lumps of earth scatter everywhere. Liara realizes that the generator which provides power to the camp is very close to the enemy._

Liara: Attract its attention!

 _The Commander attacks the vehicle to make him focus on him and when he gets that Liara takes advantage of the opportunity and blows up the generator. The electrical explosion overloads the Mako's shields and they fall, and before it fires its cannon again Shepard disables it with a direct impact of the grenade launcher._

Liara: Nice shot!

 _However, the vehicle responds to the attack charging against them. The Commander grabs Liara by the waist and together they throw themselves aside to avoid the charge. The boxes of supplies are completely broken up. The Mako goes backwards and aims at them. In that moment they hear a "click", and two seconds later something in the turret bursts. Immediately afterwards an explosion gobbles up the armored vehicle. Shepard helps Liara to stand up._

Shepard: What has happened?

 _Somebody stays hidden in the smoke column coming from the Mako._

Stranger: _-His voice sounds artificial-_ I finally found you, Liara T'Soni.

Liara: Who are you?

Stranger: What matters is who you are, Shadow Broker.

 _Shepard and Liara share a fleeting glance._

Liara: Have you come to kill me?

Stranger: No. I've come to help you. _-He comes out of the protection of the smoke. His shape imposed more in the shadows-._

Shepard: A volus?

Stranger: _-He comes near them-_ We've already met before, Commander Shepard.

Shepard: Barla Von?

Barla Von: Correct.

Liara: How have you destroyed the Mako?

Barla Von: I always carry a few recon mines, they're very useful. - _He notices their worry-_ I know you have more questions, but we have to go before the frigate comes back. My ship is holding it up, now we have the chance.

Shepard: _-To Liara-_ He's right.

Barla Von: Come, my shuttle is there.

Liara: Let me take one thing before.

 _Liara comes near the Kodiak that the Mako destroyed and recovers the onboard CPU. Even though it is severely damaged, maybe they can get some useful information from it._


	6. Chapter 5

_The Normandy's shuttle lands on the hull of the super-dreadnought, in the rear part. The passengers check that their suits are well sealed._

Cortez: I've landed as close as possible to the maintenance hatch.

Ashley: Remember that we want to pass unnoticed.

Tali: _-On purpose-_ And she is not looking to anyone, Vakarian.

EDI: Or Vega…

 _James and Garrus look each other._

Cortez: I'll come back to pick you up. Good luck.

 _After opening the hatch and getting in the ship they go down through a not too wide conduit until reaching the first trap door, which looks on to the engineering deck._

Garrus: Don't look down.

Tali: Now I feel like doing it…

 _They go through the trap door one by one. EDI is the last._

Ashley: EDI, can you access to the ship's network?

EDI: _-She comes near a console-_ Avoiding the firewalls won't be very complicated, but I can't do it without triggering the alarms. Besides, from these terminals I won't get much useful data, and I don't think they'll let us locate our objective either.

Ashley: Then it will be better to look for it on our own.

EDI: The signal comes from the front side.

Tali: Let's start through there.

 _Barla Von's frigate is almost as well equipped as the Normandy. If there's something which can be said about the volus is that they know how to use their resources. The crew, made up mostly of members of that species, also includes some turians. When the doctor has finished seeing Liara's wounds the landlord of the ship gets in the sick bay._

Barla Von: How's she doing?

Turian doctor: The cut is in a bad place, but fortunately there aren't damages in the organs. She will recover. However, she has to remain at rest for several days so that the injury completely heals.

Barla Von: Good. - _He speaks to the couple-_ I think I made you wait quite a lot. What do you want to know?

Liara: How did you find us?

Barla Von: It was a matter of time that with the end of the war the Broker allocated new assignments, so I waited for that. I didn't receive anything, but I intercepted an encoded message which ordered some agents to go to Terra Nova to trap an important target. When I arrived they were leaving, so I followed them, and in one of their transmissions they revealed the identity of whom they were seeking out: Liara T'Soni, the Shadow Broker itself.

Liara: And why did you decide to help us?

Barla Von: Because you are the Broker. You played a vital role in the defeat of the reapers, by supporting the Alliance, helping to end Cerberus, but above all, you discovered the Crucible blueprints. Thanks to that we're still alive. You have my loyalty.

Shepard: I think we can trust him.

Liara: _-She nods-_ Yes, I think we can… Is there any news about the CPU?

Barla Von: I have half of my crew working on it. When we find out something I'll tell you.

 _The infiltration team continues through a wide passage. There are Cerberus' symbols everywhere._

Ashley: It's strange we haven't seen anyone yet.

Garrus: The ship is very large.

James: No doubts about it…

 _At the end of the corridor there is a door._

EDI: I'll open it. _-She starts hacking it-._

Tali: How could Cerberus hide such a ship?

James: They kept Cronos Station hidden until the end of the war, and they couldn't move it. This thing can travel…

EDI: Ready?

Tali: _-She raises the shotgun, and the rest get into defensive formation-_ Ready.

 _The door opens, showing an immense gallery which covers almost the whole ship._

Ashley: _-Advancing slowly-_ What the hell is this?

Garrus: _-Open-mouthed-_ I have no idea.

James: It's huge…

Tali: And those rails? It seems to be a system of trams.

EDI: It's a smart solution so that the crew can travel due to the ship's size.

 _EDI activates a near panel and in a few seconds a train arrives. The team distributes over the two carriages and selects the bridge station as the destination. Halfway they pass above something which does not go unnoticed._

Ashley: Look down there.

Tali: Is it what I think it is?

James: No… It can't be.

Garrus: This is not a super-dreadnought. It's an enormous dockyard ship…

EDI: Whoever owns it hasn't wasted its time, they've already began to build a ship.

Ashley: Not any ship, a dreadnought of more than one kilometer long…

James: And that over there next to it seems to be the remains of one of the destroyed transports of refugees…

EDI: That's why they were ambushing them, they scrap ships to finish theirs…

 _As they soon check the length of the dry docks where many Cerberus' ships had been built constitutes half of the ship. In the lower side there are two armored gates which seal the interior of the dockyard._

Ashley: Get down!

 _Through the next rail other train comes closer in the opposite direction. Before stooping they only see black shadows. When it is far enough they stand up._

James: Would they've seen us?

Ashley: I don't think so.

 _Meanwhile, in the Normandy…_

Joker: So a mega-shipyard… Another nice surprise from Cerberus. - _The proximity sensors beep. Before his eyes four Cerberus' cruisers appear-_ This is not good… _-Through intercom-_ Ash, you should hurry up.

Ashley: What happens, Joker?

Joker: Their friends have come. It won't be easy to go out of here.

Ashley: Stay hidden. We'll think of something.

 _The train goes past through several stations along the gallery before reaching its destination. Once there they hurry up to get off the vehicle._

EDI: The signal comes from downwards.

Ashley: Let's not lose more time, guide us.

 _They follow her through a corridor up to the end, take the elevator and descend five floors. Only a sloping passage ahead of them that ends in a security gate. EDI hacks it and when it opens they go into the server of the ship, an octagonal room crammed with computers._

Ashley: What are we supposed to be looking for?

EDI: A large size CPU.

James: _-He looks round. That description matches with almost all computers in the room-_ Eh… Great…

 _EDI approaches to a transparent bulkhead on the other side of the room, and when she does that the room onto which it looks out lights up._

EDI: I've found it.

Ashley: Can you deactivate it?

EDI: Yes, but there's no way to avoid triggering the alarms.

Ashley: Do it.

Garrus: Only one escape route. I remember once I was in a situation like this, and things got very complicated…

EDI: This isn't Omega. They won't have time to organize the assault.

Garrus: I hope you're right.

 _EDI begins to manipulate a console, but the server shuts down._

Ashley: And now what?

EDI: As I intuited, the system has disconnected to prevent my intrusion and a general alert has been sent to the whole ship. I'll try to access again. _-Two minutes later-_ I'm connected again! I go on!

Tali: Somebody is coming down through the elevator!

Ashley: Take cover! Open fire at my signal!

James: I think we're going to have a magnificent opportunity to prove who is the best, Scars.

 _Before the elevator opens Garrus deploys a mine. Everyone waits, hearing footsteps which advance towards the doors of the server. Suddenly, the mine explodes._

Ashley: Now!

 _The team shows up and attacks the enemy. Two have already fallen because of the mine._

Garrus: Are they yahg?!

Tali: Don't let them come near!

Ashley: _-She kills one-_ Do you know what those things are?! What have I lost?!

Garrus: It's a long story! _-He avoids a projectile aimed at his head-._

 **Codex**

 **The yahg: Persecutor**

Fierce by nature, the persecutors form the bulk of the yahg army. With the purpose of surpassing the Council forces, the battle suit they wore in Parnak has been improved basing on the armors of Cerberus' soldiers. Besides, shields have been added to increase their endurance in combat. Armed with Mattock assault rifles or Hornet submachine guns they are the spearhead of any assault, overwhelming the enemy by numerical superiority.

 _The persecutors do not seem to be intimidated by the casualties and keep their advance towards the server, they are getting closer and closer. James throws a shrapnel grenade killing two more. Without cover, the yahg fall one by one. The last falls at several meters from the door._

Ashley: Who are the yahg?

Garrus: A pre-spaceflight species, discovered long time ago by the Council. They're violent, but very intelligent too.

Ashley: Not so much if they tried to eliminate us by a frontal assault… But what are they doing here? How have they taken possession of this ship if they still can't travel through space?

Tali: It's clear now they can.

EDI: Inhibitor deactivated.

Ashley: Well done, EDI.

Joker: _-Through intercom-_ I'll call the cavalry.

Ashley: Let's go.

EDI: Wait, I detect a failure in the system's security. I can overload the reactor of the ship. _-She starts to key in orders in the terminal-._

Garrus: A self-destruction?

EDI: Exactly.

Tali: It would be one threat less to worry about.

EDI: It's done, we have fifteen minutes until critical mass.

James: Then we have no time to waste!

Ashley: _-Through intercom-_ Cortez! We're leaving! Pick us up at the meeting point!

Cortez: Received. _-Connecting with Joker-_ I can't come for them with the fleet there.

Joker: I will always have to be the bait, won't I? Ah, it's okay, let's stir the wasp's nest!

 _The team quickly returns to the station, but the enemy is waiting for them. When the door opens they find a train from which three berserker yahg get out._

 **Codex**

 **The yahg: Berserker**

Advancing behind the protection of their holographic shield, a group of berserker can mean a challenge to any squad of the Council's forces. They are specialists in clearing fortifications, harassing their enemy with a Cerberus' Harrier rifle while they approach to fight hand-to-hand, in which their superior physical strength increased even more with implants gives them a great advantage over the rest of the species. While it is true that without their shield they are vulnerable, their thick armor awards them the necessary defenses to eliminate any threat.

James: _-With the shots he rolls to cover behind a bench of the station-_ These are better equipped!

Garrus: _-He reaches James' position-_ We need to flank them!

 _EDI places herself behind other bench at their left while Ashley and Tali stay covered on both sides of the door of the station. The team prepares to carry out the maneuver, but before they can do anything the other tram arrives. Twenty yahg soldiers more disembark._

James: _-He shoots blindly, sticking out only the weapon over the bench-_ They're too many!

Ashley: EDI! Is there an alternative route?!

EDI: We could cross the ship through the side batteries, but like that we won't get engineering in time!

 _The benches are covering little by little of red-hot metal._

Tali: And the dock?

EDI: Yes, there we can!

Ashley: All right! Fall back! Tali and I will cover you!

 _Before the yahg reach their position, EDI, Garrus and James move back up to Ashley and close the door of the corridor._

Ashley: _-As they run towards the elevator she contacts the Normandy-_ Change of plans, Cortez! Pick us up at the docks!

Cortez: You'll have to open the gates!

Ashley: Understood!

 _The elevator takes them to the level of the batteries and they go towards the starboard battery. Behind the armored doors they find an extensive and wide corridor of breathtaking length. Reinforced big windows show the external cannons. The automated reloading systems remain inert waiting to feed the weapons of the ship. In the opposite wall to the viewpoint numerous terminals are distributed along the battery. Taking advantage of the scarce yahg presence the team quickly reduces distance to the meeting point, crossing section by section._

CPU: Alert. Increase of reactor's temperature detected. Refrigeration systems do not respond. Manual restart required. Time remaining until critical condition: 6 minutes.

Ashley: Don't stop!

 _Through the window they see how the Normandy comes near and carries out a very close passing to them. Dockyard's weapons miss the shot. After the frigate an enemy fighter squadron repeats the movement. Immediately afterwards the armored bulkheads descend to protect the windows._

Joker: Will you be long?!

EDI: No, we've almost arrived!

Joker: I'm saying it because with this company I need to know when I have to drop the shuttle! - _He makes an abrupt yaw-_ If I don't do that at the right time and they see it, they will pulverize it!

 _The gate of the last section opens, appearing a large contingent of troops. A yahg aims at James with his omni-tool and an electric shock goes through his armor._

James: They've drained my shields!

Tali: Avoid the homing grenades!

 **Codex**

 **The yahg: Assault technician**

Experts in technology, the assault technicians provide support to the troops. They use Arkon yahg carbines modified to lodge in thermal clips and wear light armors with advanced shields. To keep in check their adversaries they use homing grenades and energy drain, restoring their shields in that way and bearing heavy enemy fire.

 _The floor trembles, the yahg also bring a heavy mech._

EDI: What's that?

Garrus: _-The mech aims at them with its main gun-_ Take cover! _-A stream of molten metal almost hits them-._

 **Codex**

 **The yahg: Ares**

Unmistakable in the battlefield by its black armor-plating with yellow lines in the joints of its articulations, the Ares mech is a modification of the Cerberus' Atlas carried out by the yahg. With a Thanix cannon prototype for IFVs developed by Cerberus instead of the previous mass accelerator, an improved three-headed missile launcher and a medium-range flamethrower which replaces the claw, the Ares has a greater firepower than its predecessor. Besides, trying to reduce the vulnerability of the pilot, the cockpit window has been changed for reinforced armor, which considerably increases the durability of the mech.

Ashley: But weren't they in pre-spaceflight age?!

James: It's obvious that they learn fast!

Garrus: Why everyone can have an Atlas mech except me?!

Tali: Is that a flamethrower?

EDI: Contain them!

 _The Ares fires several missiles which hit the reloading system of the nearest turret, blowing it up into pieces. A bit of metal is thrown to the opposite wall and gets stuck into a pipeline from which gas begins to come out._

EDI: We're running out of time!

 _The yahg advances slowly forming an impassable wall._

Ashley: Concentrate all fire on the mech!

 _When it is near enough, the Ares fires its flamethrower, burning up the cover of the team, but it also sets on fire the gas causing an explosion which makes a hole in the wall. Black thick smoke comes out of the interior of the opening cutting the line of sight of the enemy._

EDI: Over there! It's our only chance!

 _They fall back through the improvised way out, reaching a maintenance corridor. James covers the rearguard while EDI guides them. Behind the team the first persecutors appear, but Vega doesn't stop firing. As they arrive to a crossing a berserker catches the lieutenant unaware by his flank, deactivates his holographic shield and charges against him, bringing him down. Immediately the yahg raises his arms in a movement to break Vega's spinal column but Garrus executes him with a shot in the head before he can deal the deadly blow to James' torso._

James: _-Standing up-_ I owe you one!

 _After covering a few meters more they come out to the main corridor through a side door, the dock is towards stern. Once there they protect themselves behind the construction machinery to defend the entrance while EDI begins to hack the armored gates which look out onto the exterior._

EDI: Joker, I'm ready to open the gates!

Joker: Understood! At my signal!

 _The Normandy has three fighter squadrons very close to it. The cruisers, however, can't keep pace with the frigate._

James: They're coming!

Garrus: Open fire!

CPU: Alert. Increa _-the deafening roar of the Ares' Thanix cannon overlaps the public address system. The infantry advances with it-_ 1 minute.

Ashley: Joker! Hurry up!

Joker: Now, EDI!

 _Joker passes under the dock in inverted flight and the shuttle leaves the frigate at the same time that the gates have opened enough to get in, the fighters almost see it. When it is inside the Kodiak's doors open and a marine deploys the turret._

Cortez: Come here, we'll cover you!

 _The shuttle gets as near as possible to the team while the gunner fires to prevent the enemy from advancing. However, the Ares doesn't scare and goes through the door._

Ashley: Move, everyone to the shuttle!

 _The exterior gates begin to close._

CPU: Refrigeration systems reactivated. Reactor's temperature falling to optimum values. Status report: situation stabilized.

EDI: No! They've fixed it!

Ashley: Jump!

 _EDI gets in the shuttle and Cortez avoids the shot from the Ares. The Kodiak escapes in time and the Normandy picks it up before the yahg fighters attack it. Ashley and EDI go to the cockpit._

Ashley: Get us out of here!

Joker: I'm on it!

EDI: _-She sits in the co-pilot seat-_ Preparing coordinates for FTL jump.

Joker: _-He directs the nose of the ship towards two of the cruisers in route of interception-_ Come on, come on.

Ashley: What are you after? You're not going to…

Joker: _-Calmly-_ It's all controlled.

Ashley: Go up, go up, go up!

EDI: Jeff!

 _The Normandy passes through the two Cerberus' cruisers and jumps to FTL._


	7. Chapter 6

_Day and a half later Barla Von's crew is still working on the shuttle's CPU, the damages are more serious than they expected. They can do nothing except waiting to obtain any information about who is behind the conspiracy. Liara, already recovered from her wound, is taking a shower to relax. Shepard finds her tense, and knows most of that is due she hasn't got her powers back. She suspects that what they injected her was an omega-enkaphalin improved variant, easier to inoculate and of much faster effect, but whatever the substance was the doctor didn't find anything. While water falls through her torso she feels strange, foreign to herself. She has had biotic all her life, and now she finds herself… incomplete. She doesn't know if she'll be as always, but she can't do anything. She sighs._

Shepard: _-From the other side of the door-_ Liara, Barla Von has found something.

Liara: _-She turns off the faucet-_ Finally! Give me a minute. _-She dries, gets dressed and opens the door of the bathroom-._ Come on, I'm impatient to see what they have.

 _Once in the bridge…_

Barla Von: Commander, Broker, we've hardly been able to get data from the CPU, but from the little we've retrieved we have fragments of the flight recordings. Most places where it has been frequently are spaceports, nothing unusual, except one place: Anaern.

Liara: Anaern? It doesn't sound familiar to me.

Barla Von: It's a frozen planet, uninhabitable. Not even its atmosphere is breathable. It's dead.

Shepard: It's very suspicious.

Liara: True, who is behind everything must be hiding there.

Barla Von: That's what I think, we're on the way. Go to the arsenal and take the weapons you want. I will go with you as well.

Liara: Any help is welcome. Judging by your score, you trained a lot in the Armax Arsenal Arena.

Barla Von: When Cerberus tried to seize the Citadel by force I heard a centurion giving orders to his men to seek out several agents and contributors of the Broker, including me. It seems they were on your best operatives' trail, to see if they led them to the Crucible… Since then I've been preparing for anything.

-O-

 _The Normandy waits near the relay with the Alliance reinforcements._

Joker: _-In connection with the SSV Logan-_ Have you found anything?

Admiral Singh: Negative. No trace of them up to now, and the remains of the refugees' ships have also disappeared… You were right to watch over the relay, in this way we know they're still here. We've almost combed the entire sector, we'll find them very soon…

Joker: I hope your ships are ready to face them.

Admiral Singh: They won't break our blockade. Their small fleet is no rival to the Third.

-O-

 _The shuttle descends over Anaern towards the coordinates obtained from the CPU. Armed with Avengers, Shepard and Liara check their equipment. Barla Von, instead, observes the exterior from the cockpit next to the turian pilot Arnius: they fly in a storm which beats the immense mountain chain whose expanse goes beyond the eye can reach. To avoid detection they almost border on the frozen surface. Continuing along the range, when they are at less than two kilometers from the objective, he glimpses something in the distance. The Commander, who has already put on the helmet, gets in the cockpit and also sees the artificial construction: a hidden complex in the middle of nowhere, in a planet where nobody can find it. At first sight it's formed by a single trapezoidal building, in addition to the landing zone. Covering the abyss between both there is a long wide footbridge. The shuttle lands on the platform, and Shepard, Liara and Barla Von get off. They look at their setting, they only hear the whistling of the blizzard. The Kodiak leaves. The only thing in the landing zone is an old eroded metallic box._

Shepard: With caution.

 _Barla Von takes his Phaeston while they approximate to the footbridge. The storm intensifies, they hardly see beyond a few meters. A dull noise is heard in the distance. The sniper's shot misses for not much. The three cover behind the box. The Commander shows up and when he sees a glint he quickly bends. The bullet steps over his head._

Shepard: We can't cross! There's nothing to take cover in the whole bridge!

Liara: We can't stay either! With this cold we won't last long out here!

Barla Von: Follow me!

Shepard: Wait!

 _The shooter brings down the volus' kinetic barrier, but he activates shield boost._

Barla Von: Come!

 _Shepard and Liara place themselves next to the volus and staying close they run exposed along the footbridge. More snipers join the target practice, but each time they eliminate their shields they regenerate thanks to the volus' tech. The wind begins to gain strength, complicating their running. Several heavy mercenaries appear to harass them with rocket launchers, forcing the team to avoid the projectiles, but they fail to stop their advance. When they reach the other end the enemies return to the interior of the building and Liara starts to hack the door._

Shepard: Well done.

 _Barla Von moves his head in a gesture of approval._

Liara: Open!

 _A gust of warm air comes from inside. When they pass and the door closes the ventilation system pressurizes the room again. They advance a little, a dim light illuminates the entrance to the complex. No one is there. Shepard and Liara take off the helmet, the temperature is pleasant. They go down on guard along the ramp up to a gate which opens when they reach it. Several mercenaries are waiting for them, but the team quickly shots down all the enemies. They continue along the corridor, with Shepard ahead and Liara in the last place. Suddenly an energetic barrier raises and divides the group in two: Shepard and Barla Von; and Liara. The Commander hits the barrier._

Shepard: Liara!

Barla Von: What do we do now?

Liara: _-Through the intercom-_ Go ahead. I'll look for a way to catch you up.

Shepard: _-_ _He accedes-_ Be careful.

Liara: You too.

 _They both get going, but Shepard looks back one last time._

-O-

 _On board the SSV Logan…_

Communications officer: Sir, one of our reconnaissance frigates has spotted the enemy fleet.

Admiral Singh: Location?

Communications officer: They're leaving Dis system. They were hiding behind the star, concealing their heat emissions. I'll put it on screen. - _A moving red dot appears on the map-_ There they are. They know we've detected them and they're going to jump to FTL speed.

Admiral Singh: Don't lose them. Wherever they go, to leave the sector they'll need to go through here. We'll be waiting.

-O-

 _Shepard and Barla Von, after finding a locked gate, they try to dodge it taking a shortcut through the infirmary, a spacious rectangular room where more mercenaries have gathered together to kill them._

Shadow Broker Agent: Don't let them go through!

 _Shepard covers behind a column while Barla Von throws a recon mine, detonates it and eliminates two enemies. The floodlights of the ceiling explode, sparks blow up around them. Somebody hits an oxygen bottle that ends flying and bursts in the middle of the skirmish. The mercenaries fall one by one. The last tries to escape, but Barla Von finishes him._

Liara: _-Through intercom-_ How are you doing?

Shepard: We're finding resistance, but nothing we can't handle. And you?

Liara: I managed to pass the barrier through the ventilation ducts. I keep going, I think I already see the exit.

 _After leaving the infirmary they reach a large chamber excavated inside the mountain. The ground is solid rock, but it is partially frozen. Numerable containers cover what seems to be the magazine. A red spot appears on the Commander's forehead. After a shot a dead body falls from the balcony situated in front of them._

Liara: _-Through intercom-_ Don't mention it.

 _The asari is in an observation platform on their left, several meters above, from where she has an utter view of the chamber._

Liara: Move! You have company!

 _A squad comes to stop the Commander, but with Liara's support they easily finish them. However, a trapdoor in the ceiling opens and a turret deploys, aiming at her. She quickly turns round, gets out of the platform and runs through the glazed corridor which crosses over the chamber under the heavy fire of the quad cannons. The windows blow up into a thousand pieces with the shots. In the last meters Liara impulses and throws herself to the ground to reach the robust wall of the end of the corridor. When she stands up she goes towards the door, but it's locked. Meanwhile, a second turret deploys and aims at Shepard and Barla Von, forcing them to run in the open up to the exit of the chamber. Once there they contact Liara._

Shepard: Have you got out of there?

Liara: No, I'm trapped! - _She slightly slides towards the broken windows, but the turret opens fire, so she moves back-_ I can't go back because of the turrets, but I can't go forward either! The door is sealed and it's impossible to hack it from here. I need you to open it!

Shepard: Understood.

 _They abandon the chamber and the only accessible way leads them to a grotto, hundreds of meters separate the footbridge from the depth. The walls, rich in metallic traces, cause interferences in the communications._

Barla Von: Here they come!

 _Another group of mercenaries appears at their backs, too numerous to contain. When they have crossed, Shepard covers the volus while he brings down the footbridge with a mine._

Shepard: Good, it will take them a while to find a way to cross.

 _Not very far they find the security room and they burst into violently to eliminate the five mercenaries who are there. Shepard finds the controls of the door and opens it._

Shepard: _-Through intercom-_ Liara, it's done. _-There is no answer-_ Do you receive me? - _Nothing-._

Barla Von: Communications should work here.

Shepard: I don't like this.

Barla Von: She may be hidden and can't respond.

Shepard: Let's continue, by staying here we won't figure it out.

-O-

Gunnery officer: Admiral, we've just finished analyzing the data sent by the Normandy. _-The galaxy map disappears to show a hologram of the enemy ship-_ Our firepower will be insufficient to destroy the Colossus before it reaches the relay. Its shields are very strong, just as the hull's armor.

Admiral Singh: We can't let it escape… And what if we concentrate fire on their engines to stop it? _-The hologram enlarges showing the rear part-_ If we positioned the fleet at one side of its trajectory we would have them in range.

Gunnery officer: But even so to destroy the twelve thrusters we would need more time.

Communications officer: _-She interrupts them-_ The captain of the frigate which is following the enemy has news.

Admiral Singh: Put him in the main channel.

Captain of SSV Trafalgar: Sir, the fleet has just stopped in the middle of the void.

Admiral Singh: Any idea of what is happening?

Captain of SSV Trafalgar: Wait a moment, the signal is moving again. It has gone to FTL, but… it has split into five parts, and they are taking different courses.

Admiral Singh: What? - _Speaking to his yeoman-_ Give me an image. _-The woman keyboards the order in her terminal. The hologram of the Colossus disappears and the projector shows the tactical map of the sector-_ Very clever. We can't defend just one entry point to the system and now we have to control five.

EDI: I may have a solution.

-O-

 _Adjacent to the security room there is a hall with two elevators through which Shepard and Barla Von go down to the operations center level. When they reach the anteroom they find a security gate, but after an easy hacking it opens. It seems that no one is waiting for them._

Shepard: Stay alert.

 _Behind the door there is a narrow corridor which ends in the operations center, a D-shaped large room divided in two floors. In the middle of the lower floor there is a big galaxy map, and surrounding it there are several half-buried terminals. Four pillars around it support the vault. Once inside they observe on both sides stairs which link the two floors, and a little further on glass screens with lots of data flickering on them. At the end, three enormous monitors on the curved wall and two doors next to them which lead up to other stairs. Numerous terminals cram the rest of the room. The second floor, where there are dozens of computers as well, is made up of metallic catwalks which cover the entire perimeter of the operations center. Two more entrances are located on that level on both sides of the curved zone. There are enemies working at every terminal. Suddenly a bulkhead shuts behind them and fifteen mercenaries arrive from all directions and aim at them. They are surrounded, but they raise their weapons too. There are troops even on the catwalks and the stairs. Several mercenaries right in front of them move away to let who seems to be the leader pass, a tough salarian protected by a heavy armor and armed with an M-100 grenade launcher._

Salarian leader: You have taken a lot of trouble to find me, but your efforts have been in vain. - _He switches on his intercom-_ Bring her.

 _The left door of the second floor opens and some mercenaries appear with Liara, handcuffed and with the hands at her back. They go down the nearest stairs and stay at a care distance, next to the map. The leader turns towards the asari._

Salarian leader: It has been a long time, doctor, but I'm sure you still remember me.

Liara: Tazzik… How I could forget the agent to whom I had to snatch the Commander's body before he gave it to the collectors.

Tazzik: _-He smiles coldly-_ I have to admit it was quite a surprise to find out the new identity of the Broker.

Liara: So you do all this for vengeance.

Tazzik: Vengeance? No, you're wrong. We know you've proposed to eliminate this organization, but we won't let you kill us all. We are not more than loose ends to you, it's a matter of time that we end up as the members of the League of One: hunted one by one until all who have worked for the Broker are dead. That's not going to happen. I take the post… for survival.

Liara: You only seek power.

Tazzik: Don't be hypocrite. Destroy the Broker's resources, turn everything into nothing more than ashes, you didn't do it when you killed your predecessor.

Liara: _-Enraged-_ Don't you dare to compare yourself with me. I did it to help to stop the reapers!

 _One of the operatives stands up from his terminal and comes near the salarian._

Operative: The ship is ready, Shadow Broker.

 _Silently and undetected Arnius appears accompanied with two turians through one of the doors of the second floor._

Tazzik: Finally. - _Pointing to Liara-_ Take her to the frigate and lock her up. _-Looking contemptuously at the Commander and the volus-_ And…

 _Before being able to say anything several metal cylinders fall on the troops who surround Shepard and Barla Von. In a fraction of second both roll out of the siege and the flashbang grenades explode, stunning Tazzik's men. Taking advantage of confusion between both they eliminate five enemies while the mercenaries who go with Liara reach the stairs._

 _Chaos breaks out at the operations center. The twenty operatives in charge of the various terminals stand up to support their companions. In front of the two mercenaries who have Liara prisoner a turian appears out of nowhere armed with an M-11 Wraith shotgun, and before they can raise their weapons they are in the floor with the stomach holed. Barla Von's man breaks Liara's handcuffs, gives her a Phalanx and goes down to help his boss. The other two turians place on both sides of the second level, shooting at the six operatives on the catwalks who have just joined the fight. A mercenary aims his Hydra missile launcher at the turian on the left, ending his life and the catwalk, which kills one of their own when it falls. Arnius, before the mercenary aims at him, executes him with an accurate head shot. Tazzik catches unaware his companion who was going down the stairs, shattering him with the grenade launcher, after which he reaches and throws himself at Liara, punches her to disarm her and seizes the asari again._

Tazzik: _-With rage-_ Where you going somewhere?

 _He aims at her so that she goes up. Arnius realizes and moves back to eliminate Tazzik, but with the damages suffered the bars of his catwalk give way and he falls to the first floor. Several mercenaries separate from the main group to cover the retreat of the salarian. Shepard runs after him, but one of the enemies who blockade the way to Liara fires his M-560 Hydra, what forces him to jump behind a pillar to avoid it. The eight guided projectiles impact on the column, nicking its base, but it still stands. Barla Von eliminates him before he shoots again, but another soldier with a Hydra catches him by his rearguard. Shepard finishes him, but the mercenary falls backwards with the gun charged and by releasing the trigger the missiles hit the vault, cracking it. Dust falls from the ceiling. Shepard hurries to move away while he sees how the upper end of the pillar already damaged splits and the entire column plunges on the map of the galaxy, bursting the projector and the terminals around in an explosion of white and blue sparks. Adrenalin runs through his veins._

Barla Von: Behind you, Commander!

 _Shepard turns and eliminates a mercenary who was going to stick his omni-tool in his back while Arnius clears the catwalk by killing the last enemy armed with an M-560. There are still more than a dozen enemies on the first floor and they are running out of time. The Commander runs to reach the salarian eliminating the two agents who blocked the way. The volus and the turian follow him, and Barla Von throws a mine to the vault, which after the explosion fully cracks and allows a large amount of snow to fall on the battered map. When they reach the upper level they go through the door which Tazzik crossed leaving the rest of the mercenaries behind._

Shepard: Quickly! He mustn't escape!

 _Once they arrive at the hangar it is too late, as Tazzik's frigate is already taking off._

Shepard: No!

 _Arnius throws it a locator before the ship leaves the docking bay. The mercenaries who were pursuing them advance through the corridor shooting them, but the turian returns to the entrance to hold the line. The Commander joins him._

Barla Von: _-Communicating with his ship-_ Come to pick us up now!

 _The ship of the volus starts to descend towards the facilities, but Tazzik's frigate is in its trajectory. It tries to avoid it, but the enemy ship goes towards them and fires several torpedoes._

Turian pilot: _-Through radio-_ All power to GARDIAN systems!

Barla Von: Don't face them! Get out of there! _-A loud noise is heard-_ Do you receive me? _-He only hears static-_ No… They have died…

Arnius: _-Enemies are getting closer-_ We need another plan now!

Shepard: Where did you leave the shuttle?

Arnius: It won't work, it's an old model, it lacks an FTL drive.

Shepard: Then, to the communications room! From there we can ask for evacuation!

Barla Von: _-He reacts quickly-_ Through here! Let's go!

 _They leave the hangar with the mercenaries very close to them. When they find the room they clear it from enemies and close and lock the door to stop the others. Barla Von sits at the controls and he soon understands something is not right._

Barla Von: The computer indicates the antenna is damaged. We have a very limited transmission range.

Shepard: I hope it's enough. _-Barla Von presses a button to record-_ This is Commander Shepard from the Alliance. We need immediate evacuation from the planet Anaern. To anyone who can hear this, we need help.

-O-

Communications officer: We are online.

Admiral Singh: _-Communicating with the entire Third Fleet-_ The enemy fleet has divided to hide through where the Colossus will try to cross our blockade. Two ships are going towards Plutus, other two towards Cacus and the one left will go between both solar systems towards Antaeus. Although we cannot identify them, we have reasons to believe that the shipyard will go to the planet Treyarmus, in the Cacus System. _-He gives the floor-_ Normandy…

EDI: When we infiltrated the enemy ship we discovered their drive charge is almost completely charged. If they want to escape from us they need to discharge it before leaving the sector, otherwise they won't get very far, and Treyarmus is the best place to do it.

Admiral Singh: As we won't have enough time to stop them once they arrive here the Normandy will command an assault group of four frigates and two squadrons of fighters which will ambush the shipyard there before reaching the planet and will destroy part of its thrusters. This should be enough so that the rest of the fleet, which will wait next to the relay, can put a definitive end to the threat. The Colossus mustn't escape. _-He makes a pause-_ Is there any question? - _The plan seems to be clear-_ Good luck.

-O-

 _Ten minutes later the communications receiver finally shows signs of life, although what is heard is incomprehensible._

Shepard: _-To Barla Von-_ Stabilize the signal.

 _While he does it Arnius observes the door. The mercenaries are trying to open it with a blowtorch._

Shepard: _-Through the communications system-_ Here's Commander Shepard, can you hear me?

Javik: Commander!

Shepard: Javik?

Javik: Yes, it's me. What happens? Where is the Normandy?

Shepard: It's still on Thessia. We've gotten into quite a complicated situation and… _-he looks at the door-_ we need evacuation.

Javik: We are on our way.

Shepard: Don't keep us waiting too much. Shepard out.

Barla Von: If the coordinates this thing indicates are correct… He is too far. He won't reach on time…

Shepard: How many mercenaries you think are outside?

Arnius: As I saw while we were looking for you there were quite a lot of troops in the complex, but many were going to the hangar.

Barla Von: Maybe they embarked the frigate.

Arnius: I think that there are not more than twenty in the entire facility.

Shepard: I have an idea. Open the door.

Barla Von: What? They'll riddle us!

Shepard: It won't last much longer, in a few minutes they will have come in. If we open it, we will catch them unawares and will eliminate all who are there.

Arnius: That's crazy… sure it works. _-The volus is reluctant, but there is no other option and finally he accepts-_ Ready?


	8. Chapter 7

_Far side of Treyarmus, several hours later…_

Joker: _-To EDI-_ Are you sure that they haven't detected us?

EDI: Absolutely, the planet covers our emissions.

Joker: Okay, okay. It's just they are taking too long. _-Complaining-_ Ah, the wait is killing me.

 _Suddenly, the sensors whistle and flicker. EDI begins to analyze the data that the beacon placed on the other side of the planet sends._

EDI: Colossus presence confirmed.

Joker: _-Perplexed-_ But, it's not alone… It is coming with the four cruisers?!

EDI: I don't understand it, how have they done it?

Intrepid two: _-The Trafalgar's pilot takes part-_ Intrepid leader, the enemy outnumbers us widely, should we continue with the plan?

Joker: We've come for the Colossus, if we leave now we won't stop it at Antaeus. Follow me!

 _With the Normandy heading the assault, the Alliance ships come out from behind the planet catching the yahg unawares. Protected by two cruisers at each side the Colossus advances over Treyarmus. The assault group goes directly towards it._

Joker: Aim at the first cruiser on the right! While we don't have the shipyard's thrusters in reach we will attack its escort!

 _They all respond affirmatively. The cruisers open fire on the frigates, but the Alliance's ships maintain their course while making rolls to avoid the shots. The side batteries of the shipyard don't have them in sight yet._

EDI: Enemy in range.

Joker: Fire now!

 _The shots of each frigate's main battery hit the cruiser on prow, and among the five they make it burst in a shining blaze._

Joker: Be careful with its cannons! Everyone line up behind me!

 _The assault group changes to row formation in order to cover the right side of the shipyard. The mass accelerators are incapable to hit the agile targets. After going past by the remains of the downed ship the Normandy ascends up to place over the capital ship, while the other cruiser borders its destroyed counterpart laterally. Two gates located in the upper part of the Colossus open and fighters begin to go out, setting the assault leader as their target, but the frigate after the Normandy destroys two and the rest many others._

Pegasus Leader: Advanced fighters keep coming out, Intrepid Leader.

Joker: Understood, stay close to the frigates.

 _When they have moved away three kilometers the flotilla swerves throwing itself against the fighters which chase them._

Joker: Elude the fighters and concentrate fire into thrusters four and nine!

 _The ships obey and Thanix cannons fire. Some shots impact on enemy fighters. They too open fire and bring down the shields of the last frigate of the group._

Intrepid five: I'm taking damage!

Valkyrie Leader: We cover you.

 _Valkyrie squadron relocates and shoots down all enemy fighters which were attacking the frigate._

Intrepid five: Well done, Valkyrie.

 _After repeated shots from the Thanix both thrusters explode. This time the flotilla goes under the shipyard to avoid the advanced fighters which keep coming out from the hangar._

EDI: We have fifteen fighters on our back and their number is increasing.

Pegasus Leader: Fire intensifies!

Joker: We'll divide in two groups to reduce their pressure! Intrepid three, five and Pegasus squadron with me! Intrepid four and Valkyrie squadron with Intrepid two! We will attack its stronger side!

Intrepid dos: Aye, aye, we go out through port side.

 _At several kilometers away from the Colossus the Alliance's flotilla divides and each group makes a large radius turn in the horizontal plane of the shipyard going to opposite sides, forcing the fighters which are pursuing them to divide too. However, the enemy keeps attacking steadily, the frigates constantly maneuver to avoid the shots._

EDI: If we follow an optimum trajectory to use the Thanix cannon against the thrusters we'll be an easy target. We have more chances of survival if we use torpedoes.

Joker: _-The kinetic barrier deflects several shots-_ You're right, but we'll have to get closer if we want to hit them! Fortunately they pass through shields too. All ships, we switch to torpedoes!

 _The Normandy finishes the turn and goes towards the Colossus making evasive maneuvers to keep the shots away._

EDI: Turrets within range!

Joker: Let's use it!

 _The Thanix cannon opens fire scorching several turrets in a single volley._

EDI: That cruiser is getting ready to block us!

Joker: _-With great confidence-_ No way!

 _The main gun of the Normandy roars again, and the guns of the frigates which follow it join. However, the cruiser fires its mass accelerators seriously damaging one of the ships._

Intrepid three: I lose my shields!

Pegasus seven: Direct power to them! You have many enemies behind!

 _In a few impacts more the kinetic barrier yields and Intrepid three is consumed in a violent explosion._

Pegasus Leader: We are within range of their point defenses.

Joker: Don't launch them yet! We need to get closer to avoid interception!

 _Pegasus squadron and Intrepid five respond in unison._

EDI: Now!

Joker: Torpedoes launched!

 _Immediately after launching them he swerves towards prow putting the ventral area of the Normandy in parallel to the side hull of the shipyard. The systems indicate that some torpedoes impact but the rest are destroyed by the GARDIAN defenses before they can reach the target. The Normandy draws the heavy fire of the capital ship's side batteries and the shots fully hit their own cruiser. A blaze comes out from inside it, but it seems the ship still resists._

Joker: Wow! They feel the danger! If they don't care about friendly fire to take us down then they're getting desperate!

Intrepid two: Intrepid Leader, we haven't destroyed the thruster, we need other passing to eliminate it. Have you achieved it?

Joker: No, we weren't lucky. Only half of our torpedoes have hit the target. We'll go back!

 _The Alliance flotilla repeats the previous large radius turn maneuver, but this time a contingent of fighters catch the group of Intrepid two unawares with a frontal attack. The frigates resist, but they lose their escort squadron._

EDI: We're entering the atmosphere. The Colossus is preparing for the discharge, it is retracting sensors and weapons to avoid damages.

Joker: Good, without GARDIAN defenses we have a problem less to worry about. Intrepid two! Let's try to get rid of some fighters! After launching the torpedoes go towards the front of the shipyard and we'll pass each other above it!

Intrepid two: Understood!

EDI: Plotting synchronized trajectory.

 _Around the Colossus lightning begin to jump._

Joker: Fire!

 _This time all torpedoes hit their target. Thrusters six and eleven do not resist and explode._

EDI: Do it, Jeff!

 _Joker waits for the last moment to turn and make a sudden ascend passing over the shipyard. After him his squad follows and they cross above the second team at a very close distance. Several yahg pilots do not see the deceit coming and they crash into each other._

Joker: That's it! Good work!

 _Both groups turn going to the rear part of the Colossus. Suddenly, a great lightning comes out of the shipyard towards the planet. It will not take much more time to discharge the drive core enough to jump to FTL speed._

EDI: We're running out of time!

Joker: We need more firepower! Regroup!

 _The two squads join at several kilometers behind the shipyard and thereupon they execute a sudden turn of 180 degrees to charge against it again. The frigates use the Thanix cannons to vaporize as many fighters as they can while they approximate to their target. Even with its propulsive power considerably reduced the Colossus does not seem to lose too much speed._

EDI: It's getting ready to pass to FTL speed!

Joker: Concentrate torpedoes on thruster two!

 _The discharge of the projectiles eliminates the thruster. Alliance ships pass over the Colossus and it suddenly disappears below them, with the three cruisers and all the fighters._

EDI: I hope that having destroyed five is enough.

Joker: Yes… Let's return with the Third.

-O-

Arnius: That was the last.

 _The computer beeps demanding attention._

Shepard: Our transport has finally arrived. Let's go.

 _When the door of the hangar opens Javik meets them._

Javik: Commander. _-They shake hands-_ As no one was waiting for us I thought we had arrived too late. - _He finds strange to see only them-_ And Liara? Did she stay on Thessia?

Shepard: _-Frustrated-_ No, an old enemy has captured her. We have to rescue her.

Javik: Then let's not waste more time. Come.

 _The four come near the ship, a freighter of somewhat exotic design. Next to the main airlock three hanar are waiting._

Hanar captain: _-Trying to hide his excitement-_ Commander Shepard in person. These ones are captain Oszol and his two officers of the Peaceful Traveler. They hope to be helpful to the great hero.

Shepard: The mercenaries we face have captured my wife. If you could take us to them I would be very grateful.

Hanar captain: It is pleased to collaborate. Where they should set course?

Shepard: Arnius?

Arnius: Let's see it in the cockpit.

-O-

 _Meanwhile, on board of Tazzik's frigate…_

Liara: You fear me. - _Tazzik looks at her scornfully, but he passes over the comment-._ That's why your sniper drugged me, to capture me avoiding confronting me… _-He tries not to pay attention to her, but he is getting irritated-_ And even so you needed others to do the dirty work.

Tazzik: Silence!

Liara: _-Aggressive-_ What do you want me for?

Tazzik: You will give me the control of your entire network.

Liara: _-Defiant-_ Keep dreaming.

Tazzik: I didn't expect your help, I only need your biometric signals to access to the server. Luckily the mistake my lieutenant made when destroying that refugee's ship didn't end your miserable life.

Liara: As merciful as usual… You'll never find what you are looking for.

Tazzik: I already did it. It's on Lusia. I'll have what I want very soon.

Liara: Shepard will stop you.

Tazzik: I really doubt it, they won't leave that planet. And even though they succeeded… _-He observes her carefully-_ No. Your look betrays you. - _He makes a pause-_ You didn't tell him where you hid the secrets of the Broker… Nobody is going to rescue you.

-O-

 _Later, on Antaeus…_

Admiral Singh: Status report.

Yeoman: The first thermal signals have entered the sector. We're trying to identify them, but thanks to the assault team we know they are not the cruisers.

Gunnery officer: As for the target, the Colossus still has seven intact thrusters. We don't have much margin for errors, but we can destroy them.

Admiral Singh: Good.

Yeoman: It's done. According to the scanners, the enemy ships are… _-disconcerted-_ shuttles.

Admiral Singh: Shuttles? Do you mean Kodiaks?

Yeoman: Yes, but… they emit too much heat, as if they do it on purpose…

Admiral Singh: _-He realizes-_ Cerberus redesigned them as decoys. It fits their tactics, deceive to avoid direct confrontation…

Yeoman: What do we do with them?

Admiral Singh: Shoot them down once they are in range, I don't want them to hinder our sensors in the middle of the battle.

 _Several ships leave FTL travel not too far._

Yeoman: The enemy fleet has just arrived to the system.

Admiral Singh: It's the time.

Yeoman: Fighters are coming. Half of them leave the fleet, they are going forward to attack us.

Admiral Singh: Send five squadrons of fighters to encounter them. The rest of the Third will hold the position until we have the Colossus' thrusters in range. Remember that it is the main objective.

 _The assault group appears near the entrance point of the shipyard._

Joker: Well done, EDI. We have them exactly where we want. Attack!

 _The flotilla pursues the Colossus while the Alliance fighters catch up the ones of the enemy and they get mixed up in a dogfight. Soon they confirm the expertise of the yahg pilots, there are numerous casualties in both factions. For their part, the fighters which stayed to guard the shipyard throw themselves against the team commanded by the Normandy. Suddenly, fifteen Cerberus' cruisers appear through the relay with a large number of fighters._

Yeoman: Enemy reinforcements!

Admiral Singh: That's why they were hiding from us… They were just gaining time… _-Staying calm-_ Reposition the right flank and move it to defensive formation.

 _The cruisers of the Third maneuver and point towards the relay. Frigates and corvettes place themselves with the ships which form the exterior cordon to stop the fighters. The interceptors regroup round the dreadnought, next to the carriers, while the F-61 Trident stand near the defensive line to use their torpedoes against the yahg cruisers. The rest of the fleet holds the position._

Gunnery officer: The target will be in range in two minutes.

 _The assault group breaks the formation to avoid the fighters which go towards them while they approximate to the thrusters._

Joker: Get ready to launch the torpedoes!

EDI: Escort cruisers are reducing their speed, they are preparing to defend the thrusters.

 _Yahg reinforcements begin the attack to the heart of the Third. Many of their fighters can't cross the defensive line constituted by the frigates, but their GARDIAN systems are soon overwhelmed and they succeed. Those which have penetrated go towards the SSV Logan. Quickly the interceptors throw themselves against them before they get too close, but some torpedoes start flying near the dreadnought._

Gunnery officer: The Colossus is in range!

Admiral Singh: Fire at will!

 _The first projectiles of the Third reach the shipyard, and although its shields endure they will not do it for long. A yahg fighter hits the armored gate of the carrier SSV Christopher Columbus with a torpedo, but the armor resists, and to avoid further risks a frigate places itself before it to operate as an anti-torpedoes defense. Meanwhile, after dodging the cruiser which was interposing between the assault group and the Colossus, the Alliance frigates hit the target._

Joker: One thruster less! Go, go!

 _The kinetic barriers of the Colossus finally fall and the shots of the mass accelerators of the fleet impact on their target. The Alliance cruisers cause moderate damages, nothing compared to the devastating firepower of the Kilimanjaro class dreadnought. Soon another thruster falls. The yahg understand that they have to eliminate their greatest threat and the reinforcements go towards the SSV Logan. The cannons of the shipyard also concentrate fire on the ship of Admiral Singh._

Yeoman: Their pressure on us is increasing. Our shields are at seventy percent and falling.

Gunnery officer: They've just gone through the middle point of our shooting sector.

Admiral Singh: Begin the pursuit!

 _The Alliance fleet gets moving to have the Colossus in range. One of the yahg cruisers of the escort tries to blockade the shots, but it falls before the artillery barrage. By doing this it leaves the necessary space to hit another thruster more, which catches fire and explodes. The assault group goes forward the shipyard and turns their course upside down to attack the thrusters again. Suddenly, a seriously damaged yahg cruiser immolates against the flagship of the Third fleet causing a huge explosion. Some Alliance cruisers stop to contain the rest of the enemy ships. Inside the SSV Logan fire begins to propagate but the fire extinguishing systems quickly control the situation._

Admiral Singh: _-He stops holding on to the panel on which he had clung so as not to fall-_ What the hell was that?

Yeoman: A cruiser has crashed on us!

Admiral Singh: _-He gets calmness back-_ Damage report.

Yeoman: _-She starts reading the screen of her computer-_ We have no shields, there's an enormous hull breach which pierces three decks, we are losing power, there is a leak in the reactor, our thrusters are not responding… The ship has not fallen yet, but if they do that again…

Admiral Singh: Understood. Officer, put me with _-he interrupts him-._

Communications officer: We've also lost communications. I've already sent technicians to repair the systems, but they will take a long time.

Yeoman: _-Frightened-_ Sir…

Admiral Singh: What happens?

Yeoman: Another cruiser is coming directly towards us…

 _The yahg ship, a few meters from the SSV Logan, splits in half as it is hit by repeated streams of molten metal coming from the assault group. By seeing the critical situation of the dreadnought Joker decided to leave the pursuit to save the lives which are on board one of the most powerful ships the Alliance has. When they have cleared the surroundings and resume the hunt the Colossus loses the ninth thruster, as some ships of the Third continued the attack, but without the armament of the Kilimanjaro and the frigates flotilla hounding it the ship manages to escape through the relay. After the flight of the Colossus the other yahg ships hurry to leave the sector, suffering heavy losses in the retreat._

-O-

Javik: Yes, I found strange that the ship stopped in the middle of nowhere, so I went to the bridge, where I found out that they had picked up a distress message. Just when I was going to come back to the cabin they managed to make what it was saying understandable and they immediately set off. As I know you they let me contact you.

Shepard: And how have you been on Kahje? I guess that many hanar were surprised to see an enkindler.

Javik: Yes. Many came to talk with me… Too many.

Shepard: What were you looking for there?

Javik: I was trying to reminisce. The remains of my civilization made me remember things… Before going back with Liara I sought to visit more places which belonged to my people, so I got this transport. I wanted to help her as best as possible to write her book.

Shepard: I'm sure she will appreciate the detail.

Javik: We'll rescue her. No doubt.


	9. Chapter 8

_Hours later, in the orbit of Lusia._

Shepard: _-On the way to the bridge-_ Any information about the place we are going to?

Barla Von: It's the Central Command of the Asari Sixth Fleet. The facilities are located on the outskirts of Monoi, abandoned, too damaged to use them again as headquarters. Nowadays only one communications antenna which is remotely controlled works, but as the asari have given it to the civil sector there is no military presence. We're alone.

 _The door of the bridge opens._

Captain Oszol: _-He goes towards them-_ It has been a great honor for this one to take such prominent passengers. In ten minutes you'll be at the spaceport of the city.

Shepard: The spaceport? Can't you drop us off right in the objective? It will take us long to get there from the city.

Captain Oszol: This one would be pleased to bring you nearer to your destination, but it believes there will be riots in the landing zone and the ship is not made for that.

Arnius: _-Talking to himself-_ Je, "riots".

Barla Von: When the mercenaries get what they want from the doctor they will get rid of her. Time is a critical factor.

Captain Oszol: It understands. It doesn't have any shuttle, but it can go without an escape pod if that's all right with you.

Shepard: We can use that.

Captain Oszol: It only has room for three, the one who stays here will be brought to Monoi.

Shepard: Thank you, captain.

Captain Oszol: This one wishes you good look in your mission.

 _Shepard chooses Javik and Barla Von to go with him. They get inside the escape pod and activate the expulsion system. Little by little the planet comes near._

-O-

 _The Third Fleet has stationed in the orbit of Eden Prime, planet on which the Alliance concentrates numerous efforts to recover its farming production. Now that it is in safe territory the repairs begin._

EDI: Incoming transmission from the SSV Logan.

Joker: Pass it to the cockpit. _-EDI opens the communications channel-_ Admiral.

Admiral Singh: Lieutenant Moreau, you've done a great work. Your actions have saved many lives of the Alliance. I'm not surprised that Admiral Hackett has you in such high esteem.

Joker: Thank you, sir, we're glad to have been helpful. Even so I regret that the Colossus managed to escape.

Admiral Singh: True. It escaped, although at the cost of many casualties in its ranks… This time they've won, but we're still alive to confront them again.

-O-

 _The previous headquarters of the Sixth Fleet are placed at the top of the mountain. The slope is steep, only the landing zone, currently occupied by Tazzik's frigate, allows the access to the facilities. Of the two thick towers on which the impressive parabolic antennas locate only one is still standing. The other lies next to the antenna that it supported, their remains scattered mix up along the fall. Due to this, only the lower catwalk by the base of the west tower offers a place to land the pod, although the margin for error is minimal. As for the GARDIAN cannons which protected the area only two are left, the others are nothing more than scrap metal, and there is no trace of the automatic anti-infantry turrets. On the highest point is the main building, placed on a two-leveled platform which is reached by climbing the endless stairs which start in the landing area. There are nothing more than few projecting meters of the bridge which linked the platform to the demolished tower, and from the one of the west tower the main girder and part of the railing still endure, but not the floor, so in order to access to the functional antenna the asari have put provisional scaffolds. Even though that it cannot fulfill its original assignment, the place is still useful, so the key points of the structures have been propped up to prevent their collapse and then what is left of them do not fall into disrepair. Everything is calm except for the troops of the Broker who occupy the place. The entrance to the main building is fortified with a barricade and a heavy machinegun, the stairs are very well covered._

Shadow Broker Agent: _-Looking at the sky-_ A ship is coming!

 _The mercenaries run to their posts. The escape pod brusquely decelerates and it almost does not manage to land on the catwalk. From the bridge a large group of agents of the Broker aim at the intrusive vehicle. Shepard, Barla Von and Javik get out through a hatch on the opposite side to which the enemies can see. As soon as the Commander shows up a rain of fire begins. When the shooting cease they run until covering next to the tower, where the troops stationed on the bridge cannot hit them. However, others have come down the stairs to reach the catwalk and advance towards them, but they quickly eliminate them._

Javik: How are we going to get there? They'll riddle us from the bridge!

Barla Von: It will take us too long to eliminate them all!

Shepard: No, I have an idea. Do you see that scaffolding? We could blow it up.

Barla Von: Hmm… Yes, that could work, but I'll need covering fire. I have to get very close and my shield boost won't be enough against so many enemies.

Javik: You won't get far with that machine gun covering the area, I'll handle it.

Shepard: All right. Now, go!

 _The volus comes out first and runs until he reaches the stairs, the prothean follows him closely and Shepard advances rearward shooting at the enemies of the bridge. When Javik reaches the first rung he fires and sustains the beam of his particle rifle against the head of the machine gun's gunner, finishing him as soon as his kinetic barrier falls._

Javik: Foolish primitives! _-He turns to the bridge to support the shots of the Commander-_ In my cycle mercenaries knew how to cover behind the shield of a mounted gun!

 _The Shadow Broker agents concentrate fire on those who return it, which allows Barla Von to get close enough to the bridge so as to deploy recon mines. In a matter of seconds an explosion takes place in the midpoint of the scaffolding, two more in the ends which support it. The volus moves away while the temporary structure gives way, dropping the enemies posted up there._

Shepard: Move!

 _Without the suppression fire they can climb the stairs eluding the shots which come from the barricade, and when another agent gets in the turret they have already reached the first level of the platform, where they cover. The mercenaries regroup. Javik shows up and uses his biotic pull to then slam the gunner against one of his companions. With lift grenades they bring several enemies out of their cover and eliminate them in the air. Those who stay still oppose to leave their position. The team climbs the last flight of stairs and after opening up a breach in the fortification they clear the area. When there are not more of them, Barla Von unlocks the doors of the building and they go in. The floor is full of rubble. The counter of the security post is split in half and numerous bullet impacts cover the walls. Purple and greenish red marks can be seen too wherever they look at, which indicates that during the invasion the reapers had to deploy ground troops to bring under control the asari assigned to the Central Command of the Sixth Fleet, maybe in an attempt of capturing the facility to obtain any information they could use to eliminate the fleet with the largest number of dreadnoughts in the Asari Navy. They continue through the only unblocked corridor, the automatic turrets which protected it are broken up. There are burns everywhere. They reach the room of the end, where they take the elevator and go down to the command room. As soon as the doors open and they take five steps several flashbang grenades explode._

Shepard: Move back!

 _Before they can return to the safety of the elevator three asari vanguards use their biotic charge against the team, bringing down Shepard and Javik. Barla Von, however, dodges her carrying out a cartwheel, and when she turns to finish him he is not there. He reappears behind her by deactivating his tactical cloak and fires his Paladin. The first bullet brings her shields down, the second ends her. The one going against Shepard turns to eliminate the volus with her shotgun, but he generates an energy sphere around him which throws an electric shock to the vanguard, and while she is stunned he hurls her a recon mine at her feet and runs to kill the asari who is going to execute Javik. When the stunned vanguard recovers Barla Von detonates the mine, smashing her. The Commander and the prothean stand up._

Barla Von: _-With naturalness-_ Clear.

Javik: That has been… impressive.

Barla Von: Thanks. They cost me a fortune, but I knew that someday the light intensity regulators would come in handy.

 _The room is not very big: a curved wall with a straight one on which there is the door which overlooks the command room. Across the door…_

Tazzik: Finally the download has finished. Now it's your turn to annul the last block. _-He tightly grabs Liara's handcuffed hands and puts them on the terminal. On the screen infinite numbers appear, which start to rearrange. When the process finishes he releases her-._ See? It wasn't that hard… _-He takes the Carnifex that he has on his belt-_ Well, you're no longer useful. _-He puts the pistol on her head-_ Smile, asari, you're going to embrace eternity.

Shepard: _-At a few meters and coming closer while aiming with his Avenger-_ That's not going to happen, Tazzik! If you pull the trigger you're dead.

 _The last two Shadow Broker agents present aim at the Commander. Tazzik is still pointing at Liara._

Tazzik: You're late, I've finished transferring the Broker's network to my ship's computers. I already have what I came for.

Shepard: You won't go anywhere, this time you don't have numerical superiority. - _Tazzik holds his defiant look-_ Release her.

 _Suddenly an explosion creates an opening on the ceiling and through it nine mercenaries fall using their rocket boots. They place themselves between Tazzik and Shepard._

Tazzik: Kill them!

 _Liara begins to feel how a great power seethes from her inside. The team is forced to move backwards in order to cover behind some terminals. Tazzik returns his look at his prisoner, the asari is wrapped up in a biotic cloak, concentrating her energy. Before the salarian can pull the trigger Liara throws him through the air._

Shepard: Keep pushing!

 _The first agent falls under the Commander's fire. The asari, after breaking the handcuffs, walks towards Tazzik, who goes sore on all fours in the opposite direction to her so as to get his pistol back. The door of the command room opens and a badly injured mercenary comes in limping with an M-920 Cain. Neither Shepard nor his team see him, as he is behind them, but Liara does. Although she wants to put an end to the menace the salarian means she knows that if she does it she won't be able to save her companions. Without hesitating even for a second she turns aside of her target and runs towards the Commander, knocking down the mercenaries who are interposing with her biotic, and when the Cain fires Liara creates a barrier to protect them on which the projectile impacts, causing an enormous explosion at a few centimeters from her. Much of the energy is absorbed by the barrier, but the one who fired volatilizes and that part of the room suffers heavy damages. Shepard leaves the terminal behind which he was covering and places himself between her and the agents, and thereupon his companions follow him and stand beside him. Tazzik takes advantage of the situation and flees through the hole of the ceiling while his last men give him time to escape retain the Commander. When the energy of the explosion has completely dispelled Liara helps to finish the last three agents left. In that moment the racket of the frigate's thrusters turning on comes from the outside, it is about to take off._

Barla Von: He's going to escape!

Liara: _-She hesitates momentarily-_ No, we know too much. _-She realizes what Tazzik is going to do-_ He's not fleeing…

 _Liara runs to the central computer of the room followed by the others. She finds the command she was looking for and reactivates the systems of the control center. The doctor diverts power to the GARDIAN system, which after activating shows its operability status on the screen._

Liara: _-Worried-_ We barely have anti-aircraft capacity, I hope it's enough against the torpedoes… _-While typing in-_ Shepard, the tracking system of the turrets is damaged, the two must be controlled from here. - _Indicating him a gunnery terminal-_ Sit there, switch on the HUD interface and focus on the torpedoes. If just one hits us we're dead.

Barla Von: And the ship?

Liara: I have something special for it.

Shepard: Understood. - _The Commander sits at his post-_ Who will operate the other turret?

Liara: You. The other terminals don't work, you'll have to alternate the control of both. Use that to prevent overheating.

 _Shepard assents, but he know it is not going to be easy. When the HUD interface has loaded he sees through the camera of the turret. Of the different indicators he quickly identifies the heat one. The Commander begins to destroy the first torpedoes. Meanwhile, the doctor makes a tridimensional holographic map of the area appear on the screen, centered on the facilities, and after typing the appropriate command the view moves away and shows one of the three planetary defense batteries which still protect the capital._

Javik: I like it, with that firepower we'll put an end to it.

Liara: I can hack that mass accelerator with _-a warning in red color appears in the middle of the screen-_ Don't tell me this now… The antenna is not connected to these facilities! You two, go to the tower and connect it! Hurry! - _They both obey-._

 _The GARDIAN system is in worse state than they thought. The cannons heat very fast and radiators are ineffective to dispel heat. They will not last long._

Barla Von: _-In the elevator-_ Does she refer to the tower whose bridge we blew up?

Javik: I'm afraid so. We'll need to improvise.

 _The Commander keeps intercepting all the torpedoes that Tazzik's frigate launches while Liara finishes adjusting the parameters of the antenna for when it gets connected. Outside, the prothean keeps the balance with difficulty walking on the main girder of the bridge. The volus seems to be doing a little better, but not much. Shepard pushes one of the turrets to the limit in order to bring down a torpedo at a few seconds of the impact, leaving it incapacitated._

Shepard: Damn it! We just have one left!

Liara: _-Through intercom-_ Will you be long? We're running out of time!

Javik: It's almost done!

 _Suddenly the warning showed on the screen disappears. A mechanical creak indicates that the antenna is aligning._

Liara: Good work! Come back!

 _When the communications link has established Liara hacks the planetary defense cannon and marks the ship as target. The frigate moves away and returns firing more torpedoes against the base._

Shepard: We're about to lose the last turret!

 _The frigate moves away again, giving time to the immense mass accelerator to place the ship on its point of sight. When the ship turns and goes towards the facilities the cannon makes the first shot, which hits the target. The second do not hit, but the third does, bringing down its shields. The next makes heavy damages in the ship, but it does not seem to stop. Tazzik will not give up, not with victory at his fingertips. He knows that if he launches the torpedoes even closer the Commander will not be able to destroy them, and then it will be a matter of evading the mass accelerator flying at ground level. The ships makes evasive maneuvers and other shot fails again, the salarian prepares for launching one broadside more. Barla Von and Javik appear through the door to watch the outcome on the screen._

Liara: _-She still feels the pressure of the Carnifex's barrel against her head, the words "smile, asari, you're going to embrace eternity" Tazzik said echo in her mind-_ You first.

 _The mass accelerator opens fire and the shot strikes the frigate, which violently bursts. The camera of the GARDIAN turret shows on the screen how the explosion disperses its remains along the slope of the mountain at dozens of meters below the facilities. Liara relaxes and Shepard leaves his post._

Liara: _-She sighs of relief-_ Tazzik is history.

Shepard: Yes, and you recovered your biotic.

Liara: _-She smiles-_ I'm glad I could help.

Shepard: _-He comes and stands beside her-_ And now what?

Liara: I'll continue dismantling the organization. In a certain way Tazzik has contributed to it, with his ship destroyed my network is lost for the most part. Nobody could recover it.

Barla Von: But there must be other secret facilities left. And more agents…

Liara: I know where those bases are. And in relation to the agents, we've eliminated most of them. Those who didn't join Tazzik have probably disappeared.

Shepard: What if he revealed them your identity?

Liara: I don't think so. His plans were too daring, Tazzik wouldn't give more information than necessary to those who hadn't joined him yet to prevent me from finding out. The remaining agents won't be a problem.

 _The four leave the room and get into the elevator._

Shepard: Any idea of how he could discover who you are? We can't let this happen again.

Liara: Yes. To begin dissolving the organization I ordered many agents to shut down certain facilities with the excuse that their security had been breached. One of them was Tazzik. _-They get out of the elevator and walk towards the exit-_ I didn't send him to Terra Nova, but for the files from Cerberus we discovered there I'm sure that on the way he found coded data on which my identity was revealed. That's why he went to Terra Nova, that facility is the only one which has the few encrypting codes of Cerberus I had.

Barla Von: But that doesn't explain how he knew you were dismantling the organization.

Liara: That place was a communications booster, utilized to disperse information and orders making difficult any possible tracking. My instructions to shut down facilities had to go through there, and by knowing my identity Tazzik would realize there were too many vulnerable bases to be true. He would understand I was putting an end to the organization, and with it he had the perfect excuse to convince the others that following him and killing me was their only chance of survival.

 _When they come out to the outside and begin to go down the stairs they see that a shuttle comes down on the landing zone. Once they get there, with their weapons raised, several asari commandos go out and aim at them. The officer recognizes the Commander, and after ordering her people to put the weapons down the team does the same._

Asari officer: What brings Commander Shepard to a place like this?

Shepard: _-He invents a story to protect Liara's identity-_ We pursued a band of pirates up to here. They were planning to use the antenna to divert civilian freighters and hijack them. Fortunately we ended them before they could carry it out.

Asari officer: Have you hacked our planetary defense cannon?

Shepard: It was necessary. We had no other way to stop them.

Asari officer: I'm going to need a lot more details.

Shepard: I'm sorry, it's Spectre's business. The planet is safe, but the investigation is not closed yet.

Asari officer: Spectres… _-Annoyed-_ My superiors won't like this… _-She sighs-_ Anyway, do you need transport to the city? I see yours _-she indicates the escape pod-_ won't take you too far.

Shepard: We would be very grateful.

Asari officer: _-She speaks to her commandos-_ Go inside and collect any information you can about what has happened here. _-Looking at the team-_ Get in.

 _The five get into the shuttle. Liara sits next to Shepard, rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. Mission accomplished._

-O-

 _A black shape observes the space through the window of his dreadnought. Many of his subordinates have not got used to the spaciousness of the galaxy which surrounds them yet, but he seems to feel comfortable contemplating the infinite. What he craves to conquer._

Legate: Supreme leader, we've just known that the detected shipyard is safe now.

Supreme leader yahg: _-He turns his head to look at him-_ I want the alpha in charge of that ship to come to see me. He only had to gather resources without attracting attention. He needs to understand the price of his lack of discretion.

Legate: It will be done in that way.

Supreme leader yahg: _-He observes the space again-_ Which are the progress?

Legate: Almost all ships you've assigned to the invasion are already here. You were right, several have been spotted by the species which populate the galaxy, but there have been no more problems so far. Nobody seems to have followed our steps up to here, your distraction plan has worked.

Supreme leader yahg: As I expected the Shadow Broker has not risen to the occasion. Those inferior creatures are easy to manipulate.

Legate: We've also tuned up the cruiser you ordered to leave adrift. We prepared it as you told us and that salarian found the information about the Broker's identity we left him, he never suspected the ship was abandoned intentionally. I recognize although he couldn't eliminate the asari his interference was very effective.

Supreme leader yahg: The unworthy served our purposes by distracting that information specialist, and he did it better than expected. She is the only one who could have adequately investigated the sightings and have tracked us up to here… But it's too late for them. - _He walks towards the legate-_ Begin the preparations. Now nothing can stop us.


	10. Chapter 9

Days later, in the Normandy's cockpit…

EDI: Jeff, calm down. You're starting to make me nervous.

Joker: I'm trying! They should be here already. What if something happened to them?

Garrus: Again? Nah, the Commander just wants us to have to ask him twice.

James: I'm glad Liara returns too. And Javik, I didn't thought he was going to come back.

Ashley: Of course they were going to come back. - _Joking-_ Liara won't give up a cabin almost as large as Shepard's…

Tali: And she is not going to let Javik run away. Weren't they going to write a book?

Cortez: _-Looking outside-_ Eh! There they are!

 _They all run to the corridor. After the decontamination process the inner hatch of the Normandy opens and they come in._

EDI: Welcome aboard. - _The three smile-._

Shepard: _-Kidding-_ Eh, Joker, I've heard we almost lose another Normandy.

Joker: How they like to exaggerate!

Ashley: We've taken good care of the ship, Skipper, and we all are ready to set out.

Shepard: Thanks, to everyone. James, Hackett told me your decision, are you sure?

James: Absolutely. Working with a N7 squad until the training program is restored is very tempting, but I already have a place here, with you. So… I'll accompany you for a while. _-On purpose-_ Besides, somebody will have to make up for Garrus' lack of accuracy.

Garrus: Lack of accuracy? Me? You must be kidding…

Tali: Can't you stop it? Keelah…

Ashley: What are the orders?

Joker: I hope it's not another "routine mission"…

Javik: Is saving the galaxy a "routine mission" in your cycle? Hmm… You primitives don't stop amazing me.

Shepard: The Admiral still has to give me the details of the mission. We all see in the war chamber in one hour. That's all for now.

 _Shepard, EDI and Joker go to the cockpit while the others leave._

Joker: It's great to have you back.

EDI: This wouldn't be the same without you.

Shepard: I'm very glad to have you all again in the Normandy. And also that Liara can come with us.

Joker: She's a great person. _-Sincere-_ I've always seen you happier when she was there.

EDI: It's true, your biometric record confirms an increase of endorphins in her presence.

Joker: _-Sarcastically-_ Yeah, that has sounded much more magic… _-Shepard does not know what to say-_ What EDI means is…

EDI: _-She finds the right words-_ That there are not many people like her. You're very lucky to have found each other.

Joker: Well, I guess you have questions about what has happened in your absence.

Shepard: Yes, I could hardly speak with Hackett about it.

EDI: Where do we start?

Joker: You'd better take a sit, Spectre…

 _Later, in the communications room._

Shepard: Sir.

Hackett: The situation is critical, Commander. Two days ago the yahg caught the salarians unawares and invaded Sur'kesh, all the information gathered by Cerberus about their defenses has given them an edge. The fleet which confronted the Third is nothing compared to the one blocking the planet, but now we already have enough ships to break the siege.

Shepard: Can we count on the salarian navy?

Hackett: Fortunately. Their fleet recovered and holds the relay of Pranas, when we get there they will join the bulk of our offensive. Dalatrass Linron assures they have the key to stop them, they'll explain us the plan when we get there.

Shepard: What do we know about the enemy?

Hackett: We believe their leader was one of the captive yahg on Sur'kesh, the one who escaped during Cerberus' assault. The salarians never found him, and with the reaper invasion as priority they considered it unimportant…

Shepard: So he got hold of a ship, returned to Parnack and while we were fighting against the machines he became the leader of his species.

Hackett: Exactly. And knowing that Cerberus had numerous patrols all over the galaxy it's not surprising the yahg, after the defeat of the reapers, found some of those drifting ships. Later, through its records they wouldn't take long to find the rest of the fleet…

Shepard: They haven't wasted time.

Hackett: They are a big threat, Commander, we need to stop them at once. We're not in a good position for another galactic scale war… Hackett out.

 _Shepard leaves the room. His companions arrive at the reformed war chamber and place around the holographic projector._

Shepard: Joker, it's the time.

Joker: _-From the cockpit-_ Supplies loaded, all systems online, starting engines. Disengaging from the hangar. Route plotted.

 _Everyone is ready._

Shepard: We've saved the galaxy, but our victory won't last much if we fail now. _-Shepard looks at his team members one by one while he is talking-_ They know we're vulnerable, with our forces decimated and scattered, and they want to take advantage of the situation. The yahg may not be as dangerous as the reapers, but we mustn't underestimate them. - _Traynor activates the images sent by Hackett-._

Ashley: _-Talking to herself-_ Protectors of galactic peace, both first and last line of defense…

 _From the cockpit Joker sees how several frigates pass the Normandy._

Shepard: I know we will do it well. After what we've already achieved we won't let them down. We've come very far, but our journey doesn't end here. _-The ship flies next to Hackett's dreadnought-_ We still have a lot to live together.

Joker: - _The Normandy reaches its position in the formation and stops- The fleet is ready._ One minute for jump.

Shepard: We don't know why they have invaded Sur'kesh, but a large scale attack such as this indicates they are looking for something really important. Something for what is worth risking their resources to get it.

Ashley: It's hard to believe that a species new in spaceflights has managed to overwhelm them on their own homeworld…

James: They've got almost all Cerberus' arsenal… and with upgrades…

Liara: Something tells me that's nothing but the tip of the iceberg…

Tali: And to think that now the reapers have vanished they come to conquer the galaxy…

Shepard: We won't let them. Their invasion begins and ends here.

Garrus: Heroes never rest…

 _The Normandy is promoted by the relay at FTL speed with the rest of the Council fleet, leaving Athena Nebula behind, course to its destination._

 **The end**


End file.
